Nike was the first to Th fount, crouching down as she let Jexus off. She hoped Howard was somewhere in the crowd.Onora was quietly sleeping on Demeter, and still sleeping peacefully as they landed. So she wasn’t aware that they were there.Aurora landed, letting everyone slid off.
Must get better. Keep out out memories. gritted out Shane as he practice using his sword. Arghhhhhhhhhh Shane throws down his sword in frustration. He collapses unto his knees, unable to bear the pain. Ever since he had been sidelined from being put as a royal defender of the palace he trained hoping one day, he could take back his dream job.
It had been three years since this had happened.
“Lets head up to the main palace, York will likely be there” Jexus cast a disdainfull glance at the kid they had just met, then went to check on Onora(edited)
Onora stood quietly, looking around the fount. This place was stunning! She just looked around and saw all the beautiful tapestries and building in this place.
Jexus noticed Onora's confusion, and whispered over to here "York is the governor of the Fount. With Regalia destroyed, he now has the most power. We need to tell him about the gnawers"
Nike quickly bashed into him as her black and white wings wrapped around the Underlander quickly. “Gnawers are going to invade regalia. We must tell York.”
Howard patted her wing absent-mindly before locking eyes wit Gregor. He seemed to be about to ask a question, but at the last moment just shook his head with a smile “I think you should all just follow me”
Everyone followed Howard through a series of brightly-painted tunnels. Eventually they arrived at a large stone door with the words ‘WAR COUNCIL - NO ADMITTANCE’. Howard knocked twice, and it swung open almost immediately
The group cautiously followed Howard through the door, but stopping when an oldish, battle-scared man looked up. “Howard?” York asked “Jexus?” he continued, even more confused. “Ripred? What... what is going on?”(edited)
“The treaty is all but destroyed,” Jexus began “We killed countless of gnawers just trying to get to safety. Not to mention the army still in the Uncharted Lands” Jexus glanced over to Smokeswirl
She touched Jexus’s injured wing gingerly, looking at him. “Maybe you should step outside. It seems like the medicine I’ve given you has given you a temper.”
He stalked closer so they were almost face to face “Look, pup, I don’t know what you think you are doing, playing like the good little soldier at the war meetings. But you better shut your mouth before I invite Ripred back inside to close it permanently”
(Oh okay. Sorry my little sister is talking to me in the middle, so it’s taking me a while to message and stuff so sorry if it takes me a while to type stuff)
Jexus glanced around their group, eventually landing on Michael. He gestured for him to explain their story to York, before following Ripred out the door(edited)
Onora followed the two as she watched them, she had a word with them. “Cool it! Luxa—whatever her name is, doesn’t need you to fighting with the Founts council!”
Ripred walked back in. “Sorry, but I needed to come back in. Watching all of you argue is funnier to then watching the gnawers arguing who’s the dumbest one.”
York had stopped listening to the conversations around him, and was entirely focused on Michael’s recount of the group’s adventures. After Michael finished, York sat in silence for a few moments before standing up “Listen up everyone. You can forget about your little squabbles, we’ve got bigger problems”
“Another war is brewing. Forget the gray war, this will tear the Underland apart. We need to be prepared, and that includes sending word to our allies. Oh, and also, figuring out who our allies are”
York took in the envoy that had brung him the message. The dishevelled humans and overlanders. The tired-looking bats. “You need rest. Shane, show our guests to some rooms”
She day Jexus down quietly, gingerly touching his wing. The halflander moved her hair out of her face, as the holder broke. She carefully unwrapped the bandages on his wing, seeing that it healed nicely. “Still has some healing that it needs to do, but you’re well enough to fly.” She said, wrapping new bandages on the bat.
She sighed, shaking her head lightly. That reminded her, she needed to go get her stuff, as she will be staying down here permanently. “No. I guess that’s what I need to survive, at least that what I’ve heard from everyone down here.”
17:43
(why do I feel like everyone is waiting to see what’s next)(edited)
Onora was quite tired, walking over to the bed sluggishly as she laid across it. Her long curly hair draped across the bed as her light violet eyes slowly closed, falling into a deep sleep.
"Yeah, it was great. I would go to school, where we learn things, go home, sometimes go get some pizza, and then usually do something with my parents. Like watch a movie, play a board game... until..."
"A slight window, I think there will be, a slight window of time in which he may leave. Just over, the attack is, so not many enemies lurking in the tunnels there will be." (I'm making him talk like yoda lol)
Jexus had been up for hours, unable to sleep. But when he noticed Onora shaking like a leaf he hopped over to her. Reluctant to overstep his boundaries, but also craving comfort he eventually decided to wrap his good wing around her and tuck her against his body. Her shaking soon ceased, and they spent the rest of the night in each other’s embrace
Onora jolted awake, just to feel a warm, soft wing around her body. She smiled as she sat up, needing some fresh air. She lightly shook Jexus awake, waiting for him to sit up. “I need some fresh air, want to come?”
Michael told everyone he had to go to the bathroom and snuck off to the War Council room. He asked York if the scouts had seen anyone bad in the tunnels. He said no.
But York seemed to sense something was off “Look, kid. I don’t know you, and I certainly can’t tell you what to do. But whatever you’re thinking, I’d recommend against it”
Smokeswirl crawled out of her room miserably, unhappy to be awake. "What are today's plans?" She asked to nobody in particular.
-
Demeter also left her room.
She studied this man, her violet eyes finding him, SORT OF, attractive. Onora hand nodded and asked them a question. “Do you happen to know where a balcony or exit is?”
She grinned, as her violet eyes scooped out the area. The halflander had pulled her long curly hair back, revealing her dark freckles. “Catch me!” Onora exclaimed, as she jumped off the balcony.(edited)
Jexus launched himself after her, streaking towards the ground. At the last second he opened his majestic wings, looped around once and caught Onora on his back
Onora bursted into what seemed to be a mix of laughs and giggles. She smiled happily as she spread across his back, sighing as she looked up at the Underland sky. “At least I can trust you!”
Jexus ruffled his wings. “I- I used to have a bond.” Something cracked in his voice “He died.”
18:27
“We were at the garden. Y- you know, the Hesperides one.” Jexus’ voice grew quieter “We tried to save them, all of them. But there was jus- just so much water”
“Oh—“ Onora quietly looked off the side, feeling terrible. A bond was supposed to protect each other with their life—right? But anyway, that was still sad, she could tell. “I’m sorry..”
The message was barely audible, but she still heard him. He sounded like a mouse. “I know you did.” Wrapping her arms around him, she sort of embraced him with a long hug, trying to change the subject. “You’re wing is better.”
“Well, I only got here about a week ago, but from what I’ve gathered it’s a place full of giant rats, called gnawers, bats, cockroaches, spiders, beetles called crushers, and ants called cutters. There are also humans with pale skin and violet irises. The humans are starting a war with the cutters, crushers, and gnawers. In the midst of all this, we fell down. There was an attack on their city so we were rushed onto a huge quest to warn everyone, but now our part is over.”
“I... I do?” Michael furrowed his brow. “All I’ve ever done I’d argue and weigh the team down. You’ll still have Demeter and Onora. If anything you guys will be much better without me.”
"I'll be surprised if their even is a team after this. And..." Ripred looked Michael in the eye, "Your life will never be the same. You've witnessed someone who you knew die. You've seen hundreds murdered in cold blood."(edited)
Gregor shook his head. "I will be staying here with my friends." He told Michael and looked over the Fount. This was the first time he had been there. "This is my home now.." ( @(moved accounts) Mikl Pickle )
"I dont have anything left up there anymore. This place.. its given me a purpose. I might join you to say good bye, but then Im coming back down here to my real home."
(I want at least a few more people to be online, namely Lenn, Ekatsime, Atmos, and That Guy since they were the first peeps to meet my character(edited)
"You've heard them say that Im "The Warrior"? Well I was part of these prophecies that claimed me as the Warrior and that I would save the Underland. I had saved my dad on the first trip down here and got a bond.., the second I discovered I was a Rager and had to kill The Bane, however he turned out to be a baby so i couldnt.. big mistake.. and the third trip I had to find a cure to "the plague" that killed many, and the fourth trip I had to kill the now full grown and absolutely massive Bane. I barely escaped with my life.. and my bond was not so lucky.."
(Sorry if I missed any details, its been years since Ive read the series)
"Funny story, we actually hated each other at first. But as the quests went on.. we did get closer and eventually lets just say someone went after a crush?"
York had been addressing the room, but stopped as the group entered. He nodded slightly at Michael, then gestured towards a map on the wall
12:17
"As I was saying, we need to pass word around the Underland. I'm sending Alpha to Queen Athena, asking for fliers and soldiers. Beta will move faster, getting news to the stingers, crawlers and spinners"
12:18
York turned to Jexus. "You said something about the Uncharted Lands?"(edited)
"We can't be sure", York said to Gregor. "It's unlikely they'll head straight for here. They'll probably go to Regalia first, stake it out. Eventually, though, they'll figure out where we're holding up. I suppose the rest of us should gear up for battle"
12:21
York nodded at Michael again, then told someone next to him to relay the news about the spinners to Beta
12:22
(also what actually is up with the uncharted lands)
(Okay, I think I’ll just have her quietly slip in)
16:03
Onora had quietly opened the door to the council, hopefully she was in the right place. She had slipped in and shut the door, leaning against the wall that was there. She was. Now what was going on?
With a sigh York turned towards the rest of the group "I know this is a lot to ask, but can you go out on recon? I would send official soldiers, but we're spread thin on the ground now. Jexus can lead you, and I suppose you could drop off the Overlanders on the way" He gestured to Sky and Michael
Onora had became flustered. Sky.. and Michael were leaving? She was the only Overlander left. Her light violet eyes looked around. She hand nothing to do with this, or say. She shook her head, letting her hair hang in front of her face, covering her light violet eyes.(edited)
Smokeswirl watched intently, feeling an air of sadness that Michael would be gone. He was the closest thing to a respectable human that she could think of. Maybe it would be better if he was gone, because now he couldn't reveal that Smokeswirl had opened up about her sorrows to him. Nobody else knew who Blackbite was to her. But despite the fact that her past was safe with him in the Overland, she still felt a pang of sorrow.
She looked up at Demeter quietly. “No, I’m fine.” Onora said softly as she shrugged, hoping that would cover up her sadness that Michael and Sky were leaving.
She nodded quietly, her curly hair moving as she did so. “Yeah I guess. Later I have to stop up in the Overland to get something, unless you have it here.”
Jexus coughed to make sure everyone was listening "I know you all have your own personal problems. No-one will think less of you if you don't come." He began, glancing over to Onora. "This will be dangerous, and there's a decent chance we'll all die. First we'll head up to the Waterway, drop the Overlander's at central park. From then on, we travel quickly and quietly. We should get to the army by the end of today, make camp and then scout out what kind of manpower the Gnawer's have. We'll spend tomorrow travelling back home, and report back to York".
Smokeswirl raised a paw. "I'm not obliged to help you humans with your war with the Gnawers. I am only a guide to go through the uncharted lands. Aside from that, I would rather die than help your kind." She stood, turning to walk out the door.
To everyone's surprise, Howard stood and spoke "Hey. Smokeswirl, was it? Look, I know you do not feel like this affects you. But it does. That vision, you had. That begun this whole thing, right? It doesn't matter who's on whose side. When this thing starts, and it will start, gnawers aren't going care who they kill. And to be honest..." Howard seemed to struggle getting the next part out "Neither are the humans"
"It was not my vision. It was my littermate's. She could be crazy, for all we know. I owe neither humans nor gnawers anything. If I am in danger, I will set off into the Uncharted lands alone to make a life there." Smokeswirl snapped. She knew she would likely die in the Uncharted lands, but what did she care?
16:36
Demeter nodded, thinking thoroughly. "We have medicines down here, although I am not sure how well they compare to your Overland supplies. It is up to you."
Still, Howard persisted "But you're involved. You can't deny that. What made you come with this group to warn other species? There's something driving you, and although I don't know what it is, you shouldn't let it go."
She nodded as she proceeded to move her hair back. “I will decide later, at I think we have more important matters as of now.” Onora had said, looking over her shoulder at the conversation. “Are you going, with them?”
Smokeswirl lashed her tail, walking out of the room with her usual slight limp. She walked with reckless abandon in the general direction of the Uncharted Lands. It would take her days, maybe weeks to reach the outskirts, but it didn't matter to her.
She nodded, smiling greatly. Fliers, what a cool name for ‘bat.’ Onora is followed Jexus, and called to Demeter. “Fly you high Demeter!” Meanwhile She asked Jexus the question, “was thy right?”
Jexus led to her a bustling woman surrounded by swords and chain mail, hammering down on an iron chestplate “This is Miranda. She will supply you with whatever you need”
She looked at the woman before her. She seemed to be working hard, getting everyone they need. “Uh, I just need two daggers.” Onora quietly said, looking at all the weapons that surrounded her.
“Nonsense!” Miravet exclaimed. “You’ll need at least some chainmail and something to tie back that ridiculous hair of yours. Don’t worry Jexus, she’ll be fine with me.” Miravet told him.
16:59
Jesus nodded, then leaned over to Onora “I’ll be back soon.” he said, before heading out they way they had came
Jexus could sense her worry “It’s all right”, he whispered. “Miravet can be... eccentric, but she’s lovely at heart.”
-
“I heard that!” Miravet yelled over, not looking up from the breastplate.
-
Jexus grinned. “See you soon”, he finished, and left the room
17:10
*On his way back through the corridors, Jexus ran into Sky who was still sitting outside the war room(edited)
After getting Onora fitted for some light chain mail that sat comfortably over her chest, Miravet led her to the corner of the room filled with weapons. “Daggers, you said?”(edited)
"My Mom and my dog." He replied simply. "I don't have much but what I do have I am thankful for." His dad's death still hasn't really sunk in yet, but it was bouind to soon.
Miravet laughed kindly “Myself? Lord, no. There’s an entire guild devoted to weaponsmithing. Or, at least, there was, back in Regalia.” A flash of sadness washed over Miravet’s face
Jexus shifted. “The Underland is not friendly at the best of times, and right now, with a war brewing? All hell’s about to break loose, and you do not want to be here to see it”
Miravet disappeared into the shelves, but returned holding a beautiful set of golden daggers with slightly curved blades sharpened to perfection. She hands them to Onora. “Give these a try”
“Oh!” Onora fell slightly as she grabbed her. The halflander quietly took the golden blades from Miravet’s had, and they were marvelous. She gripped them in her hands, being snug as she could whip them through the air easily.
Jexus led Sky back through the maze of corridors until they arrived back at the armoury. “You’re not going to need weapons, and carrying them with us when we move on without you will slow us down. Sorry”(edited)
(It’s okay it’s just that I feel like it wouldn’t be too much fun because you could just be like pow bam you’re dead pow bam you’re dead pow bam you’re dead)
(Yeah but the humans are the only ones who could ever do any real damage since none of the other species have opposable thumbs for a trigger. It would be a little OP. Maybe we could use it for a little bit but not permanently)
(Okay so basically what you missed is Ekatsime said omg two hundred messages I can’t deal with this has Mikl left and that’s what you missed on #the-fount)
She nodded, walking out with the bat. Onora had climbed up on Jexus, as she knew thy she would be riding with him. Her armor was bothering her slightly. But at least there was something to restrain her hair.
Jexus took off first, with the other fliers and their passengers following close behind. They headed south, towards the Overland entrance above the waterway
The nurses had made a beeline to the emergency room, taking her off the stretcher and placing her on a table. A doctor came into the room and told the nurses to unwrap the bandages. The wound was still bleeding badly, as it seems 2 or 3 inches deep. Onora winced loudly as they had touched her skin. It was inflamed, swollen quite a bit. They took something and stuck it inside of the wound carefully, to see if it had interfered with her spine. It had, but not severely.
15:34
A nurse had walked out and saw Jexus. “What happened to the Overlander?” She asked, pulling out her notepad to see if the story and the wound matched up.
The nurse nodded as she closed the notepad softly, retreating to the emergency room. She told the doctor the story. “Seems like it.”
They wheeled her into one of the rooms at the hospital, and the doctor went to talk to Jexus.
15:44
He approached the flyer softly, nodding. “She’ll have to stay here for a few hours. We’ll give medicine to you for her to take. Make she does or the wound won’t heal. She had a cracked spine, but only a little bit. It may take a few weeks to heal, but she can walk, not fighting.” He was about to turn away, but he forgot to ask something. “Would you like to see her?”
The Underlander doctor nodded as he led him to her room, opening it quietly. He left shortly after. Onora slept quietly and soundlessly on the bed, the bandages wrapped tightly around her stomach and back.
Jexus sat next to her bed, but didn’t say anything. He just lay near her, and quietly drifted off to sleep. When the doctor arrived later to check on her, he just smiled slightly at the site before him.
Onora slightly sat up, grunting as she slowly got to lean on her elbows. She looked down, her back was wrapped tightly, she knew that. And she looked around, seeing that they were in some sort of hospital. She tried to get out of the bed, as she light violet eyes looked towards to door.
Jexus was sleeping lightly beside her, but when she stirred he awoke. “No, don’t get up. You will tear your stitches”, he said, laying a claw on her arm.
Onora rolled her eyes and got out of bed quite quickly, slipping on shoes that were left for her by the bed. On second thought, she was to sore to walk. Wincing, she sat back on the bed.
She faced the other way, crossing her arms as she shut her soft violet eyes. “Why did you bond with me anyway?” Onora asked, her dark skin burned slightly on her back, causing her to sit forward more.
She shook her head, brushing her hair behind her. “No—-I just want to know why. Because all I’ve heard is you plan to do it, and you have some party—or something.”
Jexus sighed. “A bond is much more than that. The Underland is dangerous, and you should always have someone to have your back. But you have to really care about who you bond with. And once I met you...”
Jexus sat back down, but still had a slight grin on his face. “Look. You’re kind. You’re funny. You’re smart. And when you broke down during that attack, I knew I would do anything to stop it, to keep you from pain.”
She shook her head as she purses her lips. The halflander took a quick swig of the bottle, sticking out her younger afterwards. It didn’t taste to good. “I also have another question to ask.” Onora said, putting all the vials in a bag that had been left for them.
The two walked out of the room, limping as she did so. She held onto his wing for support so she wouldn’t topple over. They came to a balcony where Onora mounted Jexus’s as they took off. “What did you mean by ‘halflander?’”(edited)
“I mean, with the same skin tone I do. But definitely not the eyes.” Suddenly, it all dawned on her. She—wasn’t afraid to fly, o-or jump from a cliff, A CLIFF! “Wait—you’re saying I’m—sorta—one of.. you?”
“Of course.” Jexus said, and asked someone near to them if they knew were ‘Mareth’ was.
“I think he just finished the infant training, try up near the arena” they replied.
17:09
Jexus thanked them, and took off, trying to keep his flight as smooth as possible to not hurt Onora.
Smokeswirl stirred, immense pain coursing through her body. She groaned, forcing her eyes open. She was in a hospital room. She took a sniff, and realized that she was in The Fount. The ground beneath her was soft, and she only then realized that the doctors had moved a mattress to the ground for her to sleep on. Tight bandages pulled at her fur.
Demeter had finished having her few cuts treated, and flew out of the hospital tiredly. She looked around, not wanting to be alone after the incident. Seeing Jexus and Onora, she glided over.(edited)
“Greetings, Mareth.” Jexus said. “My new bond, Onora, and I wish to train together. She is... new to this kind of activity.”
17:22
Mareth look over at Onora. “Greetings, Onora. I am Mareth. I used to be a soldier, but then this happened -“ he gestured towards his leg “and now I oversee training exercises.”
Mareth gave them some simple activities to help build Onora’s comfort with flying on Jexus, and promised to keep an eye on them whilst he continued helping the toddlers
“Ok.” She commented, brushing her hair out of the way. Their exercises were simple, flying sideways or upside down. Onora was already pretty comfortable with it.
They were soon comfortable with simple flying manoeuvres, and returned to Mareth for more advanced exercises.
17:38
As the practiced the new activities, Jexus noticed Onora’s panting and insisted that they should stop, to make sure Onora didn’t overexert herself.(edited)
She could imagine the twinkle of the lights as flyers passed over it. It would truly be marvelous. “Would we get a place in the palace? Or just find one?” Onora asked, pushing the image out of her head.
The bonds lay happily together in silence, comforted by each other’s presence. They would each treasure this moment for years to come, the moment when they truly felt bonded
Jexus coasted along silently for a few seconds after she jumped, pondering life, before suddenly diving down, twisting his body round and around, passing Onora. Just a couple metres before he hit the ground he spread his magnificent wings out, caught Onora on his back and did a triple loop.
Jexus dived back down, swooping under her as if to catch her but then continued to let her fall. Mere moments before she hit the ground he dived under her and sped towards the Waterway, staying as close to the ground as possible.
Edwynn saw Jexus and Onora showing off in the distance. Turning to Cass she says, That’s unacceptable. Everyone knows we’re the best at air acrobatics. Cass glances at the pair. Of course we are, I’m much faster than Jexus anyway. Edwynn takes a running leap off the ledge, doing a backflip to show off. They soar over to the newly bonded pair. Showing off are we? *Edwynn asks wryly?
Onora laughed hardly as she dove off the back of Jexus, being caught in no time. The race was on. She held on tightly as she cheered him on as Jexus let out a burst of speed.
The two bats were neck for neck, racing as near to the ground as they could when they noticed the cave split into two paths in front of them. Cass And Jexus glanced at each other, then each took separate tunnels, losing sight of each other.
Edwynn flattened herself onto Cass as they tore through the winding tunnels. Shall we take our shortcut? Edwynn inquired. Cass laughed the deep breathy laugh bats have and miraculously sped up.(edited)
The halflander laughed. “What do you mean, we’d love to train with you. I was just kidding.” Onora looked eagerly at Howard and stepped into the room quickly.
Luxa sat down in the room, talking to the other Underlanders in the room. Pushing some aside, she motioned for the four of them to come toward. “Tell me, what has happened,” Luxa pauses for a moment.
Onora looked at the queen, and began to speak. “York had told us to scout out the gnawers land, we did that, but—the gnawers found us, and attacked...”
The queen was furious as she began to yell at the top of her lungs at the group, then at York. “You have started a war between the gnawers and humans! That rat that was attacking you was killed in that fight, as was very precious to the gnawers! Our scouts have spotted gnawers on Regalian territory, and their packs keep going up!”
Jexus spoke up “And whose fault is that? We met Lapblood. Apparently someone has been pushing the gnawers back, forcing them away from their feeding grounds. How can you expect peace when all you do is repeat history?”
19:16
Jexus and Luxa glared each other for a minute, neither willing to back down.
19:18
“Now,” Jexus continued, knowing he was on thin ice here. “ can we finish our story without being interrupted?”
“We got attacked, yes, but we also did our job. We scouted out the army. They have at least two thousand soldiers, each controlled by a general. I could not see if they had a clear leader, but they are definitely prepared to attack. I would not be surprised if they are marching to the Fount right now!”
19:25
“What are your defence plans?” Jexus demanded, suddenly in soldier mode.
“They are to set up soliders from the area and around the area. We will not let ANY gnawer pass us out. We starting the the prophecy of secrets all over again!,” Luxa had recited it by heart, but the few lines she felt like she needed to say, she did.”Now the guests are at our door, Greet them as we have before.
Some will slice and some will pour.
Father, mother, sister, brother,
Off they go. I do not know
If we will see another.”(edited)
“Send someone for Smokeswirl please.” Luxa had stated, dismissing on of her guards to get the gnawer. She turned her attention back to Jexus. “We are to attack them, and not sit around. Once they reach the waterway I will send the army to fight.”(edited)
Smokeswirl was hesitant to join, as her body ached and stung with pain, and she was ashamed of how she froze up. She poked her long snout through the doorway first, testing the waters, before entering the room. Many parts of her body were wrapped in bandages, some bloodied already.
“Smokeswirl,” Luxa said, nodding to the gnawer. “Thank you for joining us here today. We have brought you here because the gnawers are attacking us, since your attack in the gnawers land. We are to attack first, do you have any suggestions on what we are to do?”
Smokeswirl's golden eyes met Luxa's. She pondered for a moment. "Well, why not go to the source? Damming up a river is more effective than baling it out."
She questioned Smokeswirl’s suggestion, “But gnawers can swim. That won’t help. It will just starve the gnawers and cause a war!” The conversations began to get louder.(edited)
"The Gnawers will use Crusher attacks to their advantage. Then, these foreign armies will just kill them too. Stop the Crushers, stop the Gnawers." Smokeswirl snapped.
“As I was saying, that is good. But do we know where the crushers exactly are at?” Luxa said, the room got silent as a figure walked into the room, and it was Nerissa. “The uncharted lands..”
Jexus nodded in agreement with Smokeswirl. “The gnawers have barely half what they had in the war of gray, and we easily have double their manpower. They must be using the crushers.”
"I can't give you a name, but using the scent trail left behind by the rogue Gnawers who found this other civilization, I believe I could find it too. And my littermate gave me a few landmarks."
“Good, then we won’t need the boats. I advise your group to mount up and follow Smokeswirl, you will continue on when you find where the crushers are. Block the source, then return quickly. Fly you high all!” Luxa said, quietly disappearing into the crowd.
"Excuse me, but would someone please tell me what's happening? I don't remember anything and this one-" He signaled to Michael. "Seems to hate me. I don't even know who half of you are."
“Well, I- It was just adrenaline, you know? That’s a chemical that goes through your brain when you’re in danger and it makes you able to do things faster.”
Smokeswirl looked to the group. "I hate to ask too much. But it would be best if someone knowledgeable in medical things came. I am covered in bandages and cuts I cannot clean on my own." She beckoned to her bandaged body with her non-dexterous paws.
“Okay, I think I really shouldn’t be here. I’m gonna leave and try to find out where I’m gonna be living from now on. Good luck with your quest,” Michael said, leaving his sword but taking the carved bat.
“I don’t hate you, Ripred. I’m assuming you’re actually suffering memory loss and this isn’t a sick joke, but we were in a battle with the gnawers that you started when you yelled after being repeatedly told not to and gave away our location. That’s why you can’t remember anything and that’s why Onora has a cracked spine.”
20:21
“Demeter, I don’t think I should be here. I’m gonna go to the Fount and figure out what I need to do.”
Nike let Howard mount, as the supplies were placed lightly on her back.She slowly mounted Jexus, wincing as her back started to throb.. “Maybe i should ride with Howard.” Onora said quietly.
"What? That doesn't sound like me? I don't ask for fights, they come to me. I would never yell in a quite tavern. I'm usually the one telling everyone else to be quiet! And, the problem started sometime in a cave I was stuck in, I remember that much." Ripred helplessly said to Michael.
“Ragers are creatures who excel at fighting, its in their blood. Ripred is one, and the warrior is too.” Jexus began. “and yeah... Nerissa.” Jexus rolled his eyes. “She has... questionable visions.”
Ripred asked nervously, "Do you mind explaining what happened? Has anyone died? Has anyone died because of me especially? It sounds like I did some terrible things"
Demeter flew over, nodding to greet Cassiopeia and Jexus. "Jexus, I am not sure that we formally met. Things have moved quickly these past few days. I am Demeter."
Jexus grinned back. “Of course.” His grin faltered slightly. “But that does make me wonder... when does this finish? We thought the war of gray would bring peace, now look at us. What happens after this? Eventually the Underland will rip itself apart, and at that point the crawlers will be the superior race.” he said, trying to make a joke from a serious topic.
Onora snuggled into his long red fur, warm, but her back ached horribly, she winced sometimes if she lived into a certain spot, but her face set back to normal.
As Jexus beat his wings steadily, Onora twisted and turned uncomfortably on his back. His fur was warm and soft, but her back arched horribly. But she dreamt of Jexus. Her friend, her family. Her bond.
She quietly laughed in her sleep, but soon after war had taken over her head. The spearing of humans and creatures, flinging themselves at each other, for what?! Onora woke up, sweat dripping off of her face as she sat up, crying helplessly into her palms. Everything she dreamt, I’d never be true. Her hair covered her face as she cried, shivering.
She shook her head, unable to speak. All she needed was comfort, human comfort. Onora didn’t know what to do, but her shaking only began to get greater, as her hair hung in front of her fair.
Jexus felt her shaking on his back, and coasted in to land (hahaha no one else is online you can’t stop me) he unceremoniously dumped the sleeping Ripred off his back, and engulfed Onora his his soft furry wings, “Shh... everything’s okay. I promise...”(edited)
Howard glided into the Fount’s palace on Nike, the rest of the group following behind him. Almost as soon as they landed, guards ran off to notify Queen Luxa.
Jexus eye looked badass healed, and he jumped up when the rest of the group entered. “Demeter!” he exclaimed, then felt bad for not saying Onora’s name first.
Luxa glanced up at the newcomers. “Welcome. I sent you off to kill Crushers, and you come back with a war with a completely new species...” she sighed. “You all look like you need rest. Jexus, Genor, show them some rooms. We will reconvene on the morrow, with our new guests.”
Luxa narrowed her eyes even more. “Wandering around a palace you have no right to be in, listening in on private conversations?” she waved her hand at a guard. “Imprison them, I’ll talk to him later.”
Jexus nodded, then shuffled the group out of the room and along a corridor. He gestured towards some doors. “Seriously, just get some rest. You all look exhausted.”(edited)
She never asked for this war, but she had to get ready for what was to come. She eventually slinked off to her own room, wanting to get as much rest as possible. There were probably many sleepless nights ahead of her. And besides, she wanted to see Gregor again.
Jexus burst merrily into Smokeswirl’s and Shredder’s room, grinning at the position they had slept in. “Up! We have a war to fight.” he shouted loudly before fluttering out the door and doing the same to Demeter and Michael.
Jexus frowned at Demeter’s display, but then shrugged and barged into Genor, Howard and Nike’s room and yelling at them all, before dodging Genor’s dagger. The entire group eventually assembled in the corridor and Jexus led them to the war council room where Luxa was waiting.(edited)
The group sat around the table, all looking at Luxa. She glanced at Gregor once before speaking. “Jexus and Genor have already told me of your adventures, so I will get straight to the point. We must begin to prepare the cities defences. What information do you have on the Prowler’s attack plan or fighting strength?”(edited)
19:48
Jexus frowned. “They seemed very confident they could beat us without any trouble, but that may have just been intimidation.”
Luxa bit her lip. In truth, she had no idea what to do, but she couldn’t afford to let that show. “Thank you. I will discuss this with other advisors. You are all dismissed.” She glanced over them again, taking in their injuries and dishevelled state. “Perhaps you should go to the hospital, get your wounds properly fixed.”(edited)
(FIRST OF ALL IT'S HARD TO REMEMBER THAT SINCE ITS 8PM FOR ME AND SECOND OF ALL YOU CAN JUST TURN YOUR VOLUME DOWN AND WATCH A LITTLE AND THEN WATCH THE REST TOMORROW WHICH YOU REALLY SHOULD SINCE HE PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO IT AND IT'S REALLY COOL AND THERE'S A TUC EASTER EGG)
Jexus was suddenly in front of her, and caught her when she collapsed to the floor. “You are ill.” he whispered gently. “I will take you to the hospital.”
"I don't...I don't need the hospital." The halflander breathed. She shook lightly, sitting down against the hallway all. Her words slurred as sge spoke. "Wha..happen?"
"I don't need it." She said, curling her fingers against her arm. Her nail pierced her skin, making blood appear. Onora stood up with the help of the wall, she hopped down the hall. "I can take care...my-myself."
Jexus followed her calmly. “Stop.” he said finally, placing his wing in front of her. “This is stupidity. You are clearly hurt, and I am taking you to the hospital.”
She hissed like an insane woman, hopping fast down the hall. The teen was fast with her one leg, but was most likely mentally insane, not ill. These shenanigans continued for at least ten minutes before Onora started to violently shake and began to throw up.(edited)
Fortunately at that moment Howard rounded the corner, and instantly rushed over to Onora. He let her finish retching before rolling her onto her back and pouring a sedative down her throat.
22:19
Jexus looked down at Onora with sadness and worry. “Will she be okay?” he asked quietly.
Smokeswirl followed one of the stone streets, keeping her nose low to the ground and sniffing. Although the people at the Fount fed the group, she was hesitant to trust them. She preferred to find her own food, which meant scraps and whatever she could steal.
(anyone can feel free to interact with her i just dunno how to start lol)
As he walked through the streets, he felt safe enough to keep his hood down. He looked and looked for a place just to grab a bite to eat...he mission was starting to seem impossible
he fell back when a random citizen had bumped into him, knocking the hood off of him “no it’s ok,” he said as he got up “it was my fault, I should of paid more attention,”
Genor grabbed his shoulder before he could leave. “Hey, aren’t you that one dude that eavesdropped?” Genor started laughing. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to tattletale on you.” He smirked and started walking beside him.
he let out a sigh of major relief “oh thank goodness...I was so worried I was gonna get tortured or something,” he said “and I didn’t really mean to, I was just bored.”
“Yes, I guess people do live here. In fact, that’s why I’m roaming the streets, trying to see if I should stay in the Fount or the Palace or simply Regalia.” Genor pointed to his hood. “Do you mind if I borrow that? People keep on pointing and staring because I’m from the Overland.”
he shakes his head “sorry, no can do,” he said “I’m a Overlander as well, and I got this for the same reason.” he looked at the people that were pointing
he thinks about it for a moment “sure I’ll go, but mainly cause I’m hungry and I can’t find any thing that isn’t shrimp,” he said “not that I don’t like it, it just gets old after a while,”
“Ran away from home a few years ago,” he said “I fell down an old shaft. I was sure. I was sure I was gonna die, but when I didn’t I began to explode this place. The Underland I believe they call it. While I was down here I learned about Some guy with sandwich in his name. Real crazy if you ask me,” he smiled a bit “but besides that, this place is great. The foods pretty good, people are friendly...some times. Most importantly, there’s always an adventure to be had,”
“Prowlers. Easily the most populated and powerful creatures. I’m thinking about fleeing just to stay alive. Their army could easily take the entire Underland.”
“Oh...them...” he said “I’ve never seen one up close, but this things I’ve been told have not been good.” he sighed “but I already agreed, and backing out would make me a coward,”
Jexus shrugged, then turned back to Genor. “War Council. I am aiding war efforts and you are... sitting there and providing sarcastic remarks I suppose?”
Luxa looked up at Genor with tired eyes. “You do not need to know. I have suitably arranged our defences, and I am sending all of you back to training. You have all proven yourselves capable, and we need all the fighters we can get.”
Ripred followed up behind them, mumbling something about the color yellow. "What are we going to do with Ripred? I mean despite his mental challenge, he could prove to be a useful fighter."
Jexus sighed then turned to face the group. He looked at them closely. Demeter standing close to Michael, Onora sitting against the wall, Howard leaning against Nike. Shredder and Smokeswirl standing suspiciously close to one another. And finally at Genor, who met his gaze. “Listen up, all of you. We’re in a war now. If you want to leave, feel free to. Go take shelter with civilians, run out into the dead lands, whatever. But if you stay, you better be ready to fight.” When no-one moved he grinned. “Let’s go get trained up.”
"I'm not a soldier, but I'm not completely helpless. There's help I can offer." Demeter answered indignantly.Smokeswirl paused. "I'll do what I have to. I was a skilled fighter a long time ago, before that happened." She beckoned to her missing leg.
Jexus flew beside Demeter. He recalled his and Onora’s conversation, remembering that nothing was ever going to happen unless he made it. “Demeter.” he began
Shredder looked down to her leg. "Well, I think that you could still do some decent damage. I'm okay at fighting, but I'm sure nothing compared to you."
"Well, as of now, I'm as dangerous as a Crawler. Should I just run around or something? Gnawers don't train. That's such a human thing." Smokeswirl griped.
Demeter grinned. "I think I like you too, Jexus. It's been such a short amount of time and all, but... the Underland is too much of a dangerous place to hold off on things."
Demeter's heart soared a bit. She didn't even know what to say. "I don't know what to say. I wasn't actually expecting this." She admitted, a little flustered.
Jexus stood in silence for a moment, enjoying Demeter’s fur brushing against his, then started. “Wait! We still have to train.” he could see the dwindling silhouettes of the rest of the group far ahead of them.
"I think I'll run. In all seriousness, I genuinely cannot run. I've been getting away with jumping forward and walking quickly, but I think I should be able to run if there's a war on."
18:56
(if shredder dies smokeswirl will probably just implode)
“It’s pretty obvious it’s a weapon- why would someone pull out a huge black stick and point it at somebody? We were discussing terms for peace. Now we’re not gonna get that for a long time thanks to you.”
"And again. The entire way it was set up was very obviously a trap. There was an entire group of them sneaking up behind us. Why would they sneak if they were friendly?"
"If you didn't hear me tell Genor I came back to ambush and get yall. You guys already escaped. And no, I didn't do Jack to get all trapped. I did nothing except for possibly save Dementer by taking a shot.
They don't know what any if that is! Maybe you can't get that through your thick skull! But they don't have any knowledge of the overland" He began coughing.(edited)
"Everyone relax. He's hurt! We should be thankful he's alive." Demeter said loudly.
-
Smokeswirl remained near the back of the room, not having much care for Sky. She sat back and watched the fireworks.
Demeter flinched a little. "Regardless, for the time being, you all need to drop your anger. He needs to rest. The situation was tense, and we all have made mistakes in tense situations."
"If you want to kill anyone, Genor, you'll have to start with me. Nobody is dying while I'm here." Demeter said, spreading out her wings slightly to block Sky. She didn't know him well, but she didn't want anyone dead.
(We got back to the fount, sky came back, michael and genor are mad at him, genor said he should be put on trial, demeter said no, michael wasn't that mad so he took demeter's side and now genor is A N G E R Y)
"I guess.." He sighed. "I can even the odds, it's just if it's safe to go to the Overland or not."
( @(moved accounts) Mikl Pickle you can choose to include more or not at this point. Itll even up the odds but it may be too OP so I get either choice.)
"He pulled a gun on them, and got us captured. He started a war. And this won't be like the last war, because I heard it was finished with a treaty. And this war won't end unless one of the sides is gone. Forever."
Jexus was lost. He had not been expecting this. “Are you sure that’s what happened? It doesn’t seem like this whole thing was Sky’s fault at all. If you want to blame someone blame Kling.”
Shredder chuckled. However sour she might be to the group, she could be genuine and entertaining. "Wait, do we have to fly on bats? I was kind of hoping they would throw stones at us and tell us not to die."(edited)
Smokeswirl shrugged and took a breath before taking a step forward. She remembered what it was like to run, and copied that. But when she tried to push off with her hind legs, she fell to the ground and slid along the moss.
Shredder helped her up. "You should get a prosthetic. We are in safe territory, and it'll only take a few hours. It could really help you in fighting. Besides the doctors here love a challenge, like designing a rat prothestic."(edited)
Shredder gently positioned one of her legs so that it wasn't touching the are without her leg, but would help catch her if she did begin to slip or fall. "Keep all of your weight shifted to your working leg, and you could get a lot farther than normal."(edited)
Smokeswirl gritted her teeth and focused. She managed to make it a few more steps than before, until she fell into Shredder, sending them both falling.
Shredder tumbled to the ground giggling. "Try to minimize the amount of time that your paws rest on the ground. Take leaps as often as possible. If your paws even hold for a split second longer than your balance can handle, you're going to send us tumbling."(edited)
“Not particularly.” She said, before starting off again. And she handled herself particularly well, faster than expected, leaving Shredder behind. However, when she wanted to stop, momentum was no longer on her side, and she fell again.
It was finally time for him to leave the infirmary as he had gotten the nutrition he needed. He began around the corner exiting the infirmary and saw Genor there.
Sky froze as he saw Genor, and with daggers no less. At this point he was kinda afraid of the kid, knowing Genor could beat him in the condition he was in. "Hello.." He said to him trying to keep calm and avoid conflict(edited)
Genor walked up to him, sheathed his daggers and extended his hand. "I'm sorry that I blew up at you. That anger was misdirected. And it took Jexus for me to see that."
Sky was shocked, yet skeptical. He nodded slightly and shook Genors hand cautiously. But to hide all that, he only said "Its fine. I get that you guys are mad. I understand why."
Genor shook his head. "You drew it vertically. I saw them coming up from behind us also, just simply didn't react. I just wanted someone to blame. Its no more your fault than it is anyone else in the groups fault."
Howard approached the arena, and noticed Genor standing awkwardly to the side, clutching his sword tightly. “Hey. You okay?” Howard asked, approaching him.
Genor shrugged. "I prefer daggers, and I didn't really worry about it, my rager instincts help me. But..." He looked embarrassed. "I have no control over how to... activate it of sorts. I've asked around, and people said Ripred helped Gregor, but he isn't really in the position to do much...."
Howard bit his lip. “To be honest, I am not sure how to help with that.” He shrugged. “But Gregor’s was triggered when he stared training, so I guess I can at least teach you some basics. Follow me.” Howard led Genor away from the main activities and onto a secluded patch of ground. “Daggers, you said?”(edited)
Genor nodded. "Way more swift. It helps me a lot in battle. A sword moves to slowly. But it does mean I have to extremely close to my opponent, which is a very big disadvantage."
“Yeah yeah, I know how daggers work.” Howard grinned, swinging his sword playfully. “But what about defence?” Howard suddenly lunged towards Genor’s exposed stomach.
Genor's daggers were in his hand in an instant and deflected it. He looked down at his hands in confusion. "See? I have no control over what I just did. And I'm scared that one day it'll just abandon and I'll be laying on the ground in a pool of my blood because of my reliance on my Rager instincts."(edited)
Howard glanced at Genor’s eyes. “When fighting with daggers, its so much harder to defend, especially if you’re up against someone with a heavy sword.” Without warning Howard swung his weapon down towards Genor’s neck, stopping inches from the skin.
17:38
“Even if you had blocked that, I probably could have snapped poorly-made daggers in half.”
Out of the corner of his eye Howard noticed the other trainees had stopped practising and watching the two of them fight. He grinned, before blocking Genor’s attack on his neck and grunting as he jumped away from the dagger aimed at his chest, the blade just missing his shirt.
Genor attempted to nod in appreciation, but was no longer in control of his body. He ran forward and swung at his left side of his neck, but when he was blocked he twirled to the side was behind him.
Genor began moving furiously, his dagger constantly clanging against his sword. He was trying his best not to let the rager sense completely overtake his body.
Howard grunted and tried to match Genor’s speed, whirling around as Genor pelted him with attacks. Finally he feinted to Genor’s right, grinning as Genor exposed his left arm. Howard swung his sword down sharply.
Genor moved back in surprise, dropping his dagger and leaving a savage scratch in his arm, bleeding. In his distraction, he lost his willpower and suddenly the buzzing that he was trying to keep at bay overtook his mind and picked up his dagger, snarling furiously.
Genor snarled in response. He continued shoving his dagger in fatal areas and, quite soon, went behind him and let his dagger rest against his neck. It clattered to the ground. "I'm- I'm sorry. It happened again." He muttered more words before picking up his dagger and walking out of the room.(edited)
Michael sighed and pulled out his sword. The last time one of ewfawfa's characters a stranger tried to warn us about something, it didn't go too well. "Howard?" he called out.
His army... It will destroy all of you... He is not going to stop until..." *With that Paradox leaned over hear own abdomen collapsing due to the gruesome scratches. Paradox falls over dead, content at having finally said her message.
"Well, hello there, Chloe!" he said enthusiastically, trying to take her mind of Paradox. He couldn't let the others see this- they'd surely kill her. Well, all except one person.
As they conversed, Smokeswirl walked onto the field alone. She had been wanting to practice her agility, and maybe even impress Shredder. When she saw a movement across the field, being Michael and the child, she padded over.
He made sure that the little girl couldn't hear her, then started. "Alright. So I was there, minding my own business, gossiping with Genor, when Paradox, the spinner allied with Coilthroat, appeared. I was about to kill her, but she did that herself- And then I found an Overland child. From what I can tell, Paradox raised her and Coilthroat killed Paradox for some reason, so she's terrified of gnawers. Maybe one of you can leave so she can talk to just one?"
After some time, Demeter came soaring in, having heard from Smokeswirl everything Michael told her. When she spotted them, she came in for a light landing.
"That's a very nice name." She said, but flinched at what she said next. She wasn't sure if she had the authority, or the ability to explain death to the kid. "Chloe, Paradox can't wake up."
Demeter fluttered closer and put a wing on Chloe's shoulder. "I know it looks like she's over there, but that is not her. It's not the same Paradox. It's only her body. But the real Paradox is... somewhere else. And she's proud of you, and she loves you, and she can see you. But you just can't see her."
Jexus spotted Demeter relaxing outside the palace and coasted down to meet her. He resisted the urge to scratch the spot where his new eyepatch rubbed against his forehead.
“Thanks.” Jexus gingerly stretched out his claw and touched her wing. To be honest, he had no idea how to react around Demeter anymore, things had become even more awkward after their conversation .
Demeter led Chloe over to the group with a wing on her shoulder. "This is Chloe. Chloe, this is Jexus and Genor." She said, beckoning to both of them with a wing.
Genor sighed. "Remember Paradox? Well, he raised her in safety for years after Coilthroat killed her parents, and when he found out..." He made a sliting notion. "She's still alive, and she only has us now."(edited)
Jexus jumped up. “Dammit, I’m late for a war meeting. Demeter, I’ll see you later. Genor... sober up.” He gently stroked Demeter’s back and smiled before launching off back towards the palace.(edited)
Genro lifted up the bottle. “W-i-n-e.” He said, moving his finger across the word Whiskey. He put up two fingers. “Two wine glasses. Big glasses. Throat my burn-“ He began giggling.
Howard lay in silence for a couple seconds. He slowly opened one eye and look at Demeter. “Mhm... yeah?” he muttered, before falling asleep beside Genor.
She let them sleep for a bit, and decided to carry them to their respective rooms, requesting that the guards check on them every once in a while so they didn't choke on their own vomit or something.
Jexus pushed open the door to his room, hoping that Onora wouldn’t be in there. Luckily she wasn’t, and he let Demeter in. “So... do you want to... sleep? together”
"Oh, that's good. I've slept on the floor for the past month with all these journeys." She fluttered over to the ledge, and flipped herself upside down, tightly wrapping her wings around herself.
Ripred picked up a shard and cut it against his fur, his eyes going between from his amnesic shade of white to his normal eye color as the blood dripped over his fur, tainting a small part of it with red.
His paw rested on Gregor's shoulder, the one which was bleeding. His eyes showed clarity, as he looked Gregor in the eyes. "Gregor..." He said hoarsely.
"I just wanted to say goodbye..." He said, a few tears dropping from his eye. "I'm probably never coming back from this disease..."He said quietly, stroking Gregor's hair and showing legitimate affection for him.
Ripred smiled. "You're a good boy. Your nice, and a deadly fighter. Don't change..." His tone of voice went from full of sentiment to a sleepy tone, and he closed his eyes.
22:22
Shredder sighed, and put a clothe on his wound. "He's okay. Physically. But I have lost any hope that he is going back to the old Ripred you love."
Genor hoarsely laughed and attempted to sit up. “Is this how you feel after you drink two cups whiskeys? I thought people weren’t supposed to take more take like 4 shots.... that was a good twenty I think.”
Genor dug into his backpack and took out his sunglasses. “Do you think they’ll notice?” He groaned at the fact that he needed to lean on the wall to walk.
She shook out her fur slightly. "I hate this. I'm not planning on fighting, but I guess I can at least carry people to safety if they're hurt or something. I should at least try to be as fast as I can."
(smh why would she willingly talk to jexus)
Smokeswirl noticed the eyepatch on Jexus's eye as she awkwardly trotted/limped by. She let out a single, loud 'HAH.' "Nice eyepatch."
"Ugh, don't make me think about it." Demeter snorted. "Anyway, about that... Should we let anyone know? Howard said it was obvious. But he was also incredibly drunk at the time."
Demeter took off, and headed down towards the Waterway. The flight was a bit longer than it was from Regalia to the Waterway, but they had their own river leading to it, so it didn't take too long. She carried a basket with her to keep the fish in.
Demeter placed the basket on the ledge beside the black water, which lapped quietly against the stone. Stretching her wings, she turned to him. "I suppose I will." She took flight, circling for a while, before diving into the cold water and returning with one fish.
Jexus laughed. "One fish? Watch the master at work." He dove into the water and returned a couple seconds with no fish. "I could not find any fish." He explained.
Demeter and Jexus had been fishing for a while quietly, but soon, Demeter disappeared from sight. It was unclear how long she had been gone, but there was nothing but silence.
Jexus frowned, and turned towards the noise. He knew Demeter could take care of herself, but if whatever was making this noise was dangerous, she could be in serious trouble.
When Jexus was above a particular cold patch of black water, Demeter’s face briefly popped above the water. Her eyes were seemingly staring into nothing.
Jexus dived into the water after her. Bats couldn’t swim very well, but he eventually clutched her in his claws and pulled towards the surface.(edited)
Jexus’ lungs were almost empty but he continued dragging Demeter towards the precious air. With a gasp he broke the water, and pulled Demeter up beneath him. He flew to the nearest bank and dumped her unceremoniously onto the ground.
Demeter was a small bat, and flung out of the water. Her soft fur dripped, adding weight. She splashed onto the stone. Her eyes were half open, gazing dully. When she was rolled over, some sort of dart was in her side. She was hardly breathing.
Jexus frowned. Something was clearly wrong with her, but he didn’t know how to help. They were too far from the Fount for him to get help, so he reached down and pulled the dart out of her with his teeth. “Demeter? Can you hear me?”
Jexus grimaced. “Help!” He called out loudly, hoping someone was close by. He knew he should go back to the Fount and get aid, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave Demeter stranded.
Genor was walking down the river, bored from the recent nothing that was happening, when he heard the cry for help. He came running. “What happened Jexus?”
(Because in order to leave the baby making screen you have to finish but we agreed that yku would design it so I need to text you but my phones about to die)
12:13
(So if we make it then once my phone dies I can continue playing)
Jexus reached the Fount in less than a minute, and noticed Howard walking along the arena “Grab a medkit and come with me, quick!” Jexus shouted, startling Howard. Howard frowned, but did as he was told and the pair soon returned to Demeter and Genor.(edited)
12:20
“What happened?” Howard exclaimed as he saw the paralysed Demeter. He grabbed the medkit and stumbled towards her.
Howard checked for a pulse, then put his hand over her mouth. “Her heart’s beating but she’s not breathing.” He said, confused. He had no idea how to preform cpr on a bat.
Howard grimaced. She was in shock, and wouldn’t be much help until she had calmed down. Jexus helped him manoeuvre her onto the ledge, where her claws latched on instinctively.
12:57
After a couple minutes, Howard approached Demeter, gently shaking her. “Hey. Are you feeling alright?”
Onora shook violently, her teeth chartered. The halflanders light violet eyes shot open gasping for air, and in pain. She held a hand to her chest. It seemed as if she awoke from a long, deep, and painful sleep.
(We can say howard mentioned it, and demeter is just sitting on the training field and watching stuff.)
16:51
Demeter headed down to the field, having nowhere else to go. Her fur had dried out, but there was a strange feeling in her muscles from the paralytic. She wasn't ready to do any training, so she sat on the moss and watched the Regalian human soldiers practice for the upcoming stand against the Prowlers.
"Yes they are. But I don't understand why the purple one is inside-out. He shouldn't do that. I'm going to stop him. It's my duty as king." Demeter sat up, wobbling.
“No, Demeter, we don’t need to interrupt their training-“ He tried to stop her, but she, knowing her duty, clawed Michael’s arm badly and continued. “I’m sorry, but it’s for the greater good. Execute him post-hence, my slaves.” she shouted.
17:29
“Ow,” he said. It stung really badly. He asked the nearest flier to get Howard for him, and they were back soon. He gave Michael some painkillers and took off, having other things to do, guessing that the people in the stadium would keep them in check.
"Alright, this is getting too weird. I'm getting Howard." *Smokeswirl turned and limped off. "Someone keep an eye on these idiots. Don't let them kill someone." She called to nobody in particular.
Smokeswirl sniffed around for a while before she found Howard. "Demeter and Michael are acting weird. I believe they've gotten into some of your painkillers. Or they both have severe brain damage."
Howard shrugged. “The best we can do for them is indulge them.” He said, frowning slightly as Demeter gasped at the realisation she did not, in fact, possess arms.
“Jexus don’t you dare or else I’m going to stab a knife in your heart then drag it all over your corpse then I’m gonna throw it in a volcano and then I’ll stab you again.”(edited)
Michael ran toward him and did a cartwheel, and said- “NOOO!!!” did a 180 degree turn, and ran away as far as he could before collapsing on the ground and made a horrible retching sound, throwing up on the toddler he’d pointed at before.
Michael fell to the ground and tried to get into a fighting stance. “Don’t you dare touch a finger on the little delicate hairs growing on my bond’s little delicate hairs, Johnathidiot.”(edited)
“Delicate hairs on deli- Wait, bonds?” Jexus glanced towards Howard and was met with a shrug. “I highly doubt you two are sane enough to remember the bond vow.”
“Well doubt again, dude. Because she’s my bond and also my bond and a big bat and she will tear your head off because she’s my bond and ferocious and my bond!”
“Number one, Demeter is not your mate, you Australian fartface, number two, Demeter can grow bigger than you if you give her, like, sixty years and a lot of toxic waste, number three, Demeter is evil and terrifying and I’m really scared of her, number five, you missed a lot, honey, number six, I’m hungry, can you go get some food, number nine, hahaha sixty nine, number nine, stop it.”(edited)
“Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Were you even listening? Please stop. Stop it. Please. Stop. Listen. I’m gonna ask you to stop one more time. Just sl-sowly back away or else I’m gonna murder your corpse and you’ll die.”(edited)
“I’M NOT SCREAMING, I’D BE TYPING IN ALL CAPS IF I WERE SCREAMING!” he looked at you. “Yeah, I did just break the fourth wall. What are you gonna do about it you little lame person?”(edited)
Jexus didn’t look away from Demeter. “Who knows. Honey, I think we should have a chat about the... uh... killing everyone thing you were talking about.”
“Oh, my god,” Michael put his hand on his head. “All of us... we’re just characters in a roleplay... I can’t live with this information. Can someone give me a rock?”
The side-effects to the dart had left Demeter's system soon after she fell, and by the time they were home, she was coherent and exhausted. She woke up the next day very confused.
Jexus’ smile fell. “You and Michael turned really weird for a couple hours. But seriously, after that, when you were sober again, do you really not remember?”
Shredder entered their room. She looked terrible, blood staining her gray fur all over, and a sever injury visible on her scalp. "Hi." She mumbled sadly.
She looked down at the ground. "Michael and Ripred were taken away with the current." Genor dropped the glass of beer (Flipping Alcoholic) he was holding in shock. "What?!?"
"You let them drown!" Demeter said, more aggressively than anyone had ever heard her say anything. Tears were streaming down her face. "They're dead... They're both dead." She broke down, and soared out of the room as fast as she could. She headed towards the Waterway, knowing it was too late.
Jexus stayed where he was, his face impassive. He almost didn’t believe Shredder, but when he glanced at her face he knew it was true. He stalked back to his room and slammed the door.
(Basically the only thing that happened is Ripred fell in the waterway and Michael jumped in to Save him but nobody could save either of them because they were all high on painkillers except shredder who just didn’t care)
Smokeswirl didn't speak. She stared at the wall. Michael was one human she didn't hate. Ripred was just innocent. And she had never gotten a chance to apologize for attacking him.
Shredder stroked her shoulder. "You don't want to stay here with the group, you mean? You want to fight this war by yourself? Or with the rest of the Gnawers?"(edited)
Jexus sat silently in his room amongst the ruin of what had once been a wooden cupboard. He had never particularly bonded with Michael or Ripred, but everyone who had been on that Prowler trip and been connected, and losing both of them hurt.
Jexus burst out of his room, glanced at Shredder and Smokeswirl then launched off towards the Waterway. He thought back to last night, when he and Demeter had finally... How could so much go wrong in so little time?(edited)
"I don't want to live with anyone but you. But I don't know where to go. The rats are dead if the Prowlers run through them. I just want to go somewhere isolated and safe."
Her claw traces down Smokeswirl’s thigh. “May 31st In a few weeks perhaps? I especially want to say my goodbyes first, and have time to mourn-“ Her voice broke off at the last sentence. She had looked up to Ripred as a pup. And Michael, well, who couldn’t love him.
“Greetings, fliers, greetings. How fare you, with the deaths, how fare you? Devastated, I was, devastated, but over it, I am now, over it. Share rooms, we will, share rooms, as there isn’t lots of space. Many creatures, there are, coming into the hospital, within the last hour, and under chaos, the city is, with news that the crushers bring.” Temp said, scurrying right inbetween the fliers. (sorry I suck at crawler talk)
(Okay basically: hey dudes let’s share rooms there’s not a lot of space in the fount because a bunch of people are going into the hospital and the city is under chaos because crushers said something or something)
Temp sighed. “Not very smart, fliers are. Crushers. Here. People hurt. Go to hospital. Crushers tell us about the war. City not happy. About war. War bad.”
She sighed. “I heard about your friend. I’m sorry. They tried to tell you, but I wanted to let you grieve, as there is no immediate threat. To put it simply, there has been a rebellion. The crushers have finally stood up to the prowlers. And the leader... I’m told you might know her.”
22:30
Servus crawled in through the door. “Hello, Genor and others.”(edited)
(“Genor stared at him in shock, then ran to go hug him. “At least your still alive...” He slowly began sobbing again.” who was he hugging, Jexus?)(edited)
(“Thank you for the cliff” she said as she was crushed by the cliff)(edited)
09:02
Demeter felt terrible for hating Ripred in the moment. For valuing his life lower than her friend’s. There were a thousand thoughts rushing through her mind.
09:02
(Do they at least get the body to do a fun funeral)
She shook her head, gripping his wing. Onora had a gleam in her eye. He wasn’t dead. No, at least, not right now because he walked into the room like a little—-
Demeter had been about to fly out of the room. She froze, staring at Michael, before shooting towards him like a bullet and wrapping him in a tight hug.
Onora had a hint of anger plastered on her face. She balled her fists, and her posture straightened. The halflander looked at the spinner with a angered gaze. She spoke through her teeth to Servus. “You should...not do that.”
Luxa sighed. “Yes, Yes, Michael’s alive. But we have bigger problems. From what our scouts tell us, we have less than a day before the Prowler’s army is upon us.”
Less than a day before the prowlers are upon us. Less than a day before the prowlers are upon us. Less than a—-it was on replay in her head. They were to go to war. She reached out for her bond, needing an explanation.
“I’m sorry guys, but she really would’ve left us.” Michael said. “Yes, for the record, I would have. I don’t care much for these two,” Servus responded. “You should be thanking me for dealing with him the whole way to the Fount. The killers are so whiny.”(edited)
Jexus turned towards Luxa. “So where do we stand against them?”
“Here.” She answered. “All soldiers must report to the gate by evening. I expect all of you to be there.”
Jexus glanced at her with sympathy. “No. You are in no condition to fight.” He sighed. “I do not want to leave you alone, but I am not taking you out in the field like you are now.”
Servus looked around at the group. “So... would any of you like to hear about how I went from an imprisoned crusher to the leader of a massive rebellion?”(edited)
10:12
“No? Okay fine, have it your way, it’s a very interesting story.”
“Well, when you escaped, I didn’t go with you, but obviously the prowlers thought I did. I had nowhere to go, and promptly fell asleep. I woke up to the sound of three more crushers in prison. We were there together for a while, my presence a secret, until a prowler was sent to the dungeon for advocating for crusher rights. She allied with us, and used her strength to widen a hole in the prison, allowing us to escape, in small numbers at a time of course, so the prowlers wouldn’t notice. We went on like that for a while, until we eventually had a very large army made of crushers, prowlers, and other creatures who believed in our cause. We sent a surprise attack on the prowlers, and lost many, but freed many creatures. They elected me the leader, as I was the first one to escape. Before you came, I was nothing but a slave. Now I have a purpose. Thank you,” she said. She seemed genuinely grateful. “Sadly... my mate never came to the prison. I guess he was executed.” She looked down sadly.(edited)
“Well, you have to understand what she’s been through. Losing her mate would’ve been like, ten times what you went through when you thought you lost me. Although I admit the prank was not funny at all.”
“It’s not your fault. Although... Shredder was perfectly fine mentally, and she saw both me and Ripred in the Waterway. She watched us get swept away and didn’t even move.”
“Yes. I had been diagnosed with painkillers too, and when I snapped out of it, I saw you and Jexus fighting, and Ripred repeatedly hitting his head in the stream, not even trying to get out. I asked Shredder what was going on and she said everyone, save me and her, had been affected by painkillers, poison darts, or amnesia, and I asked her to save Ripred, knowing there was very little change I could do it alone. She didn’t. She told me just to let him die.”
“No, not by any means. Demeter had you pinned to the ground and looked like she wanted to rip your throat out. She could’ve killed you if she wanted to. Well, she did want to, but Genor was keeping an eye on her.”(edited)
“I’m not leaving you again. I left you last time, and look what happened. You lost your eye!” Onora said, raising her voice. “So I am going.” She told Jexus sternly.
She nodded, hugging him tightly around the neck. Onora knew he would give in. She smirked as she back up, watching the queen intently. “Think she’s done yet? I haven’t really been paying attention, so. Uh..”
“I jumped in for them, but Ripred slashed at me and threw me against the rocks. I had to come up to breathe, and by the time I crawled back up there, Michael was back.” She said in a defensive manner.
“Ok.” She breathed. Onora wobbled our the door where she placed the wooden stick that Howard made for her. It was covered in dry blood, but that made it unique. It gave a red hue to the wood. She took it easily in her hands as she leaned on it. “Shall we go find the others?”
Shredder sighed in defeat. “I was scared! I didn’t think that you would die; Rather pretend that you dead, and I thought Ripred would kill me if I tried again.”
“Yes you will.” Onora replied. “You know what, I ain’t got time for your shit.” She said, storming over to Demeter. “Snuggle Jexus, please.” Onora pleaded.
Onora sighed, leaning back against the wall as she waited for the two to finish up. “So did you two need me to go speak with someone else or did you want me to stay?” She asked with a grin on her face.
As Onora turned the corridor she saw Howard break away from a kiss with a tall, blond man. “I’ll see you later Kio” The two parted ways, and Howard walked down the corridor. “Oh, hey Onora.” He said, catching sight of her.
(Friend: Do you Like Girls?
(Me: No
(Friend: Do you like boys?
(Me: No
(Friend: Your asexual then
(Me: What if I love myself
(Friend: Do you love yourself?
(Me: No
"I plan to participate in the war, but I am not a fighter. So I will be there to assist the wounded, and carry them to safety." Demeter explained. "That is usually what I do during fights. I don't like to cause harm."
Eventually Sky found a flier because over the last two days noone was apparently free to help and convinced him to take Sky to the Overland. It would be a few hours before he is back.
Demeter also headed to the gate, circling anxiously and looking around.Smokeswirl and Shredder had agreed to not fight in the battle, as it was not something either of them wanted to be involved in. But after Shredder fell asleep, Smokeswirl slipped out of her grasp, and headed to the gate, remaining out of sight and watching. She wouldn't fight. She just wanted to see.
Onora was shaking. Anyone could notice. She was scared, but had to fight in the war. She wasn’t to leave Jexus. Just listen to him. She gripped him tightly.
Demeter flew past Jexus, calling to him in the squeaking bat-language to have at least any air of privacy. "Wars don't always end well. If anything happens, I want you to know I love you." She smiled worriedly. "Do not die, though."
Luxa barely noticed people landing beside her, her mouth was set as she stared into the distance. “They are coming.” She whispered. And they were. Jexus could see the tiny silhouettes of thousands of Prowlers kicking up dust and stones.
Onora bent down to his level, whispering loudly. She accidentally broke up the moment, but she didn’t know. “Show time is our go time.” Onora told him.
Luxa furrowed her brow when the army unexpectedly stopped. Two lone figures, one distinctly human and one very clearly a Prowler approached by themselves, the human holding a white flag.
Luxa stepped forward. “Greetings. I am Queen Luxa. Do you bring a message?” The other human looked up at her with distaste. She was close enough now for Jexus to note her brown skin. She was clearly an Overlander.
“But first, introductions. My name is Nexo, and this is my associate Hiyro. Kling wishes to tell you that she will wait for exactly an hour before sending forth all her troops. You can avoid this battle by surrendering your lands and food, and your lives will be spared.”
There is war, and there isn’t a stop to it. This action reminded her of the movie Hunger Games. 24 tributes fight to the death, no stopping it, one victor remains. That one victor is to be us. The dead tributes should be the Prowlers.
Nexo looked up at the group for a second, then turned heel and walked slowly back to the opposing army.
“One hour, huh?” Howard said, clenching his jaw. “I guess we wait?”
“Guess we should.” Onora said, leaning against Jexus. She took note of the humans dark skin. It was almost the same shade as hers, but Onora was a little lighter.
Luxa eventually nodded. “Send the command. Start our approach. If they charge, stop and wait for them to come to us. Make sure all the city gates are properly defended.” She paused, a glint in a her eye. “Let’s go beat up some weasels.”
At this point, a figure was flying down from above. It traveled towards the group at the gate. Something humanoid stuck up from the bigger flieroid figure and something longer off of that.
Demeter launched into the air, circling again to avoid the fight until it was her time to launch in. She clung to the roof with her wing claws and feet, crouching, and staring intently down.
Nexo sighed and walked down from her ledge, holding her spear. She stalked through the bloodbath, decimating anyone who came near her, until she caught sight of Nike and Howard swooping down and flinging Prowlers against the wall.
Sky finally emptied his bag. He looked to the flier that brought him down. "Thank you." He had a few things in his bag. He first pulled out a semi auto AK and an ACOG scope. He scanned the field. He knew he wasn't gonna do much, but he could help a little.
Kling stood aside from the fighting, keeping her eyes trained on Luxa and Aurora.Howard swung his sword down towards a Prowler, but gasped as it hit the blade of Nexo’s spear. The impact tossed him from Nike’s back, and he hit the floor with a crunch. He scrambled back to his feet, holding his sword in front of him.
18:27
Nexo stood in front of him, jaw clenched. She surveyed him with her eyes, taking in his stance, height and sword.(edited)
Onora’s hair fell behind her back. She dug the staff into the ground, giving herself enough speed to light herself off the ground and kick a Prowler off balance.
Three more cracks sounded out and one prowler dropped, and one stumbled. He knew that the AK was only gonna do so much, but he didnt have many shots of his other, more powerful weapon.
Nike whimpered, she feared that her nose would be broken. She growled and fought back. Nike had gripped the wooden tool in her mouth, trying to yank it from her hands.
Instead of fighting, Nexo let go of the spear, then took advantage of Nike’s split second of shock by jumping up and swinging onto Nike’s back. She smashed her elbow into the bats neck.
Nike fell to the ground with a sickening crunch, lying on the ground with blood spewing from her ear. She managed to get back up and fling the spear somewhere in the mix of soldiers.(edited)
Jexus paused his attack and flew directly up, taking stock of the armies’ numbers. The humans and Prowlers were roughly equal, but the Underlanders seemed to be dieing faster.
Onora knocked herself into a Prowler, which held onto her promptly. The mammal through her side to side and banged her against the ground, it showed it’s teeth. She reached for her staff desperately and sent it into the back of its throat. Onora pulled it out, hot blood gushing out her face.
Nexo sighed and pulled out her sword, a short iron blade. After slamming a boot down on Nike’s head, she grinned and flipped her sword around, levelleing it at Howard. With a grunt she launched forward colliding with Howard’s sword.
Demeter frantically lifted and deposited soldiers, carrying some out of the battle, and interfering when someone was overpowered. She was covered in blood, though very little was her own.
Howard met Nexo’s attack and parried, forcing her to the side. Prowlers and humans alike cleared away as the pair fought, blades throwing off sparks as they collided.
She rushed herself over to Nike, seeing the dark skinned female attack Howard. Onora balled her fists as Nike was rushed out of battle. Onora stumbled over to Howard and the woman. She swung her staff at the back of her neck, with a grunt she managed to hear a small crunch. She was to distracted.
Sky heard a CLICK, and he groaned. He was out of ammo. He only had his big guy and his sidearm left. He decided to try to take a shot at Kling, but he couldn't find Kling. He took out his Barret 50 CAL and went prone. He only had 5 shots so he had to use them wisely.(edited)
Demeter knocked a few Prowlers out of the way who were heading for Howard, delaying them and causing them to chase after her instead. She led them away before getting away from them.
Nexos gasped as Onora’s staff hit her throat. She knocked aside Howard blade and kicked him in the stomach, forcing him away. She turned towards Onora. “A wooden stick?” Nexo asked, amused.
“Uh..” Onora gripped the staff until her knuckles turned white. She attacked again, pegging her in the stomach with more force. With a grunt her curly hair revealed her purple eyes.
Nexo flipped her sword around. “Let’s see how it does against solid iron.” She said, easily knocking aside Onora’s thrust and swinging her sword down towards her back.
Nexo swung her sword towards Onora’s trouser-covered leg, then paused in shock as it passed straight through, cutting the fabric in half. “What the-“ She was cut off as Jexus slammed into her from behind, dashing her head against the floor.
Demeter dropped another injured soldier near the gate and wheeled around, dripping with the blood of strangers. When she flew out over the fight again, she had been too confident and flew too low. A Prowler had gotten its claws into her chest, raking them down to the end of her stomach. They weren’t too deep, but they were painful. She cried out and spiraled upward.
Nexo spat out blood as she jumped back up, knocking Onora’s second attack aside with her forearm. She noticed her spear lying close by and lunged, grabbing the long weapon with both hands then swinging it towards Jexus exposed chest.
The halflander fell down, a sickening crunch sound was heard. A pain was stabbing at her spine. She struggled to get up. Onora kicked Nexo’s legs, jamming her left knee. She dislocated her knee, as it shifted when she kicked it.
As the battle with Nexo raged, Smokeswirl watched from the sidelines. She had been unable to move, frozen with terror. But as Jexus fell, she snapped out of it. Hardly thinking, she jumped off of the ledge on top of a Prowler, bashing its head against the ground, and jumped off. She sprinted through the crowd, biting Gnawers as she went. She hardly faltered, even on three feet. Without hesitating, she leaped at Nexo, baring her teeth.
Onora panted heavily, sitting upright. She managed to pin Nexo to the ground, but was speared in the side by some Prowler. She screamed in pain, blood running from a hole in her side.
Jexus moaned louder, inordinate amounts of blood spraying out from his chest. It was only when he glanced back at Onora, still frozen on the ground, that he finally lifted himself of the ground. “Help-“ He groaned, beginning to beat his wings.
Not having spent any of her energy earlier in the battle, she swiped at Nexo with her claws quickly, not truly aiming, just trying to get her back. There was fire in her eyes.
Demeter rolled under him, trying to push him upwards with her own wingbeats. But he would have to make it himself.
19:04
Smokeswirl tried to launch at her again, but was caught by the staff being jammed sideways into her mouth. She chewed at it, swiping with her claws, but couldn't reach.
Onora struggled to get up, but she tugged on Nexo’s shoe, causing her to loose her footing and fall. She yanked the stick from her hand, and tossed it up, seeing a solider catch it on a flier.
Nexo, now spear less, jumped aside and picked up her discarded sword. She moved backwards, and jammed it against Howard’s throat. “Nobody move.” She hissed. “Or I’ll cut the pretty boy’s throat.”(edited)
Demeter beat back Prowlers with her wings until Jexus made it high enough above the battle to be safe. She remained beneath him, in case he began to fall.
“Goddam!” Her voice was strained and tears built up in her eyes. She didn’t want anything to happen so she sat still. Onora was defenceless and broken anyway.
Demeter shouted for anyone to help. There were already soldiers in the hospital, but since the battle was not yet over, there were doctors available. They came to Jexus.
Demeter crawled after. "I need to get back. I can't stay with you." She said tearfully, turning to the doctors. "Save him." She was about to take off, but saw Genor. "Do you need a lift?"
Nexo glanced around at Smokeswirl and Onora, then smiled. “I guess I’ll leave you a little present.” With a grunt she sliced through Howard’s neck then turned and jumped onto a nearby Prowler and dissapeared.
(if you can find a way! so far the plot was that smoke and shredder agreed that it wasn't their fight and that they 'didn't care' but smokeswirl jumped in anyway)
Gejor rushes to Howard’s side. “SH-T! F-CK!” Genor frantically searched around his pockets and pulled out a clothe and applied pressure the the slit in his neck.(edited)
“No!” Onora shrieked, she dove for him. She cried insanely, tears dropping like rain. “We need a flyer, NOW!” Onora yelled, she ripped her shirt and pressed the cloth to his throat. “Stay with me god damnit!”
Demeter followed after Nexo, whacking the back of her head with a wing, and soaring out of sight. She wasn't able to fight, but she wanted to punish her. She left a smear of blood on her head.
“I can’t carry him!” Onora said, tears spilling across her face. The cloth piece was drenched in blood, she tore it away and ripped off a piece of Genor’s pants, pressing it to his slit throat. She gripped Howard’s hand. “You’re fine, stay with us. Please.”
Nexo clenched her jaw. “Yes, I suppose me winning this doesn’t affect if you kill me or not. What does affect it is the fact I’m going to kill you first.”
Onora had nodded to York. She helped herself up, leaning on Smokeswirl, grabbing the dagger from her waistband. She waited for the rest of the to attack.
Smokeswirl hissed, as her whiskers were sensitive. She jumped back, having accomplished what she needed to by keeping Nexo from killing Genor. She decided he could handle it, and turned to fight more Prowlers.
(God Damn I love Toy Story, can’t wait for Toy Story Four)
19:41
Genor attempted to grab on to the sword, but nothing was happening to his body. No buzzing, no anger. He was just a pathetic kid at the moment, not a rager.(edited)
Demeter saw Genor as he was bleeding out, and dived towards him. Before Nexo could kill him, she knocked her back with one wing, and grabbed Genor with her hind legs.
Onora grunted, pushing Nexo back. She sliced her in the stomach with her dagger, hoping to cause real damage. “You’re an Overlander, like me! You don’t deserve this.”(edited)
Nexo grinned slightly, and tossed down the two half’s of Onora’s staff. “Here, keep these as a reminder.” With that she stamped down on Onora’s head, hard, and Onora slipped into oblivion.
Genor began coughing blood. “It’s okay. Your trying your best.” He attempted to say to comfort her, but instead was set into violent blood-coughing fits and fainted.
Demeter looked up, seeing that the Fount was so close. She crawled along the ground, leaving a trail of smearing blood behind her. Soldiers were battling around her.
Okay lemme just take stock quickly:
- Nike: Wounded But not super serious
- Jexus: Deep chest wound, not super serious
- Demeter: Tired, bruised and wounded in wing and chest but not super-serious.
- Genor: Stabbed, very serious
- Howard: Throat cut, very serious
- Onora: Taken hostage and slightly wounded
- Smokeswirl/Shredder/Ripred: All Fine
- Michael: happy as can be(edited)
Jexus awoke too, his chest burning. He could see Demeter on one side of him, sleeping peacefully, but the other side was blocked by a curtain. He could smell Howard’s distinctive odour, mixed with the stench of blood and death.
Jexus moaned slightly, but for some reason he couldn’t stand being in bed. He moved out slowly, wincing as his chest ached. “You Okay?” He asked, approaching Genor.
(okay so they both agreed not to fight in the war bc they were gonna leave, right? smokeswirl went to 'watch', but then changed her mind and came in and fought. she was able to run and hold her own and save a few team members. it was kind of a big moment for her bc she fought through her freezing up)
Demeter was honestly shocked to be alive. Her ribs ached, her chest and stomach stung, but her wing was numb. When she looked over, the slice had been sewn up. When she looked up, she saw that Jexus was there in the next bed. "You're alive." She mumbled.
(okay so smoke and shredder agreed not to fight in the war bc they were gonna leave, right? smokeswirl went to 'watch', but then changed her mind and came in and fought. she was able to run and hold her own and save a few team members. it was kind of a big moment for her bc she fought through her freezing up)
Shredder looked back at her, and rested a paw on hers. “I know that you wanted to fight to save our friends. And I’m okay with that. But you should have told me. I’m not mad because you went to fight, I’m hurt because you I lied to me.”(edited)
“Just kidding, I’m not sorry,” Servus said to Demeter. “I couldn’t care less. The real reason I’m here is because I’m bored, and I always enjoy agitating warmbloods. It’s fun.”(edited)
“I’m going to save Onora. You know, my bond. The person I vowed to protect with my life. But you would never understand that, because you don’t have a bond!” Jexus stormed out of the room.(edited)
Noxa grabbed her sword and placed it just under Onora’s chin, she titled it up, forcing Onora to look into her eyes. Noxa slapped her. “Stay awake now, Kling wants to speak to you.”
Jexus stalked out to the balcony, about to take off towards the Prowler camps he could see in the distance, but he paused. He played back what he had just said to Demeter in his head.
20:32
“Chin up.” Noxa joked, forcing the sword even higher. “I’ll kill you soon enough.”
Nexo grinned and spread her arms wide. “We beat your army! I killed like half your friends, and we are just about to go sack your city. So yeah, I’m quite happy.” Nexo frowned at the look in Onora’s eyes. “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Your little buddies’ bodies are lying out there on the battlefield.” She lied.
Demeter's body ached, but she forced herself up, crawling out of bed. She crawled through the hospital and into wherever the gang's rooms are located. As she came upon Jexus' room, she turned away and shed another tear. She elected to move down and go into Michael's room, which they'd shared once. (remember that? it was like forever ago)
Jexus stood out on the balcony, torn between finding Onora or apologising to Demeter. He cursed, the stepped down and went back into the castle, looking for Demeter.
Demeter explained through tears. A lot of it was unintelligible, but Michael got the main point. Jexus had snapped at her and told her she would never understand why he was upset, as she lacked a bond.
“I’ve been in worse situations.” Onora said, hanging her head. She smudged the blood against her dark skin. She worried about Howard, but that was one of the last things on her mind.
Nexo nodded. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere!” She glanced at Onora’s ropes. “Oh, that’s right. You can’t.” Nexo walked away, leaving Onora entirely in darkness.
Jexus eventually found Demeter and Michael. He stood awkwardly in front of them. “Demeter...” He began. (you are perfectly justified to tell him to fuc* off)
“Me neither. You love, like, almost everybody in the world. He’s just probably stressed with Onora and all, though, he’s not mad at you. But he can’t talk to you that way.”
Kling nodded slowly, then got up. “Kill her.” She told Nexo. “She’s useless to us.”
“Can I have some fun with her? This little bitch dislocated my knee.” Nexo asked.Kling sighed. “Fine.”
“Aww, the poor Overlander is scared to lose her own hair.” Nexo tugged Onora’s head towards her and sliced of a portion of hair, the knife catching her scalp on the way down.
Nexo slapped her. “Huh, I guess you really like your hair.” Nexo twirled the knife around. “Okay. Let’s go up a notch. Which is your least favourite finger?”
Shredder sighed. “Its okay. Just please.” She looked up at her with tears in her eye. “Please never do that again. I was worried sick. And if I knew, then I would have come to fight with you.”
“Okay,” she said. “I know when I’m not wanted. I also don’t care.”
“Get the hell out of here, you idiot.”
“Fine, I’ll just go visit Genor. I always liked him better.”
Onora regretted it, but it was the one way to stay alive. “Everyone needs a little love.” Onora squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her lips against Nexo’s.
Goddamn tactic didn’t work. Just play along, it’ll get you out. “Ok, you just look like—like you needed help. That’s all I’m trying to say.” Onora said shrugging.
Demeter turned around and chuckled a little bit. "I should talk to Jexus. But I'd rather not. It can wait." She mumbled. Not even bothering to find somewhere comfortable, she just fell asleep there.
Onora heard a shriek of pain from behind her, and whirled round to see Nexo held in place by Jexus’ claws. “Gu-Guards!” She managed to choke out, so Jexus wing punched her in the face hard enough to knock her out. He turned to Onora, and used his wing to cut through her bindings. “Quick, let us go,”
Jexus shook his head with a grin as he took her to the hospital, watched as they patched up her wounds and put her to sleep, then returned to his bed and drifted into oblivion. He would talk to Demeter in the morning.
(Genor’s Dying, Howard’s Throat was slit (managed to survive), Onora was just captured but Jexus just saved her, Mikl is ignorant af, Jexus yelled at Demeter)
Genor simply put an arm on him to gesture him down. “Rest, you are in no state to do anything except rest. And if I ever see Nexo again, I’ll tear out her fucking throat and shove it down her mouth.”(edited)
Howard looked at Genor's eyes, searching for something, the nodded. He lay back on the bed, and his hands went to his throat. He felt the slighly rough fabric of bandages covering his neck.
Genor shrugged. “Is that even pos- Okay, Sure.”He wheeled out of the room and re-emerged in a minute, glass of water in hand, moving pathetically slow with the use of only one hand. “Hang on, I’m coming. This might take a minute though.”
Howard gently took the glass from Genor, but paused as he brought it to his throat. He didn't want to make his injury worse. With a shrug he opened his mouth and swallowed a mouthful, then began coughing uncontrollably.(edited)
Howard nodded in agreement, unclenching his fingers from around the glass. He lay back, and tried to speak again, but only managed to produce an inaudible whisper.
Shredder and Smokeswirl walked by the doorway, Smokeswirl grumbling. “My wounds are minor compared to everyone else’s. I don’t need to waste the doctors’ time.”
Smokeswirl bared her teeth in a grin. “Looks like you both survived.”
12:00
(Maybe someone could make fun of smokeswirl and be like “ha ha you fought that means you care about us” so she can be like “no I hate you >:((((“)(edited)
Howard glanced at Smokeswirl as she entered the room. He pointed her finger at her. "You. Fought for us." He managed to croak out, before smiling slightly.
Demeter turned her head, staring at him for a few seconds as thoughts on what to say flew through her head. She finally just decided to say what she thought. “I spent a lot of my life very insecure about never having a bond. I had a lot of friends. But no one was ever close enough to consider me as a bond.” She paused, looking down. “I thought it made me weak or worthless. That I didn’t deserve a bond, that I wasn’t good enough. It mostly left my mind when we all left on our quest. But I don’t know if it ever really left, or if I was just distracted.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I know you weren’t thinking, and that you panicked. We just lost a war. My feelings should be last on our list of priorities.”
(Ugh I didn’t have cell service)
"No problem. I'm always happy to help my friends out. And life's pretty good, other than a little war here and there." He joked, trying to lighten the situation.
Gneor managed to slightly laugh, before stumbling and almost tripping, making him groan in pain. “This stomach will be the end of me before this war even touches me. And if I ever see Nexo again...” He began muttering a slew of curse words.(edited)
* He caught Genor before he could fall. Sky started feeling a pang of guilt when Genor brought up Nexo. He didnt have a clear shot.. otherwise the war would be over right now..* "You're stronger than a little stomach wound. And you aren't alone in wanting to end that sorry @ss."
Genor chuckled. “Not really. This will literally be the death of me.” Genor stopped in his tracks, groaning from the ever increasing pain. “Do you mind taking me back to the wheelchair?”(edited)
Jexus tentatively took a step forward. "Demeter. None of that is true. First, people's feelings always matter, which is why what I said was so wrong. And second... well, trust me on this. No-one deserves a bond more than you. You're the kindest, sweetest, most lovable flier I've ever met. And if no humans can see that, then don't you dare think that is your fault."
Genor shook his head. “I’m going to say that I changed my mind, and go back to the overland. But I’ll just run off to the dead lands or something and drop dead.”(edited)
Genor shook his head. “It was traced with poison. Besides, what do I even have to live for. I’m sure the group will do fine within a day after my “departure”.”
“The message is that I’m incredibly bored right now. There’s nothing to do in the fount, and they won’t let me into any of the war meetings. Well, that’s not exactly true, what I meant was I don’t want to go to any of the war meetings. So I am here instead.”
Jexus refused to accept this. "Do not be sorry." He replied, tilting her head back to look at him. "You have done nothing wrong. And I am serious. You deserve a bond, someone who loves you as much as I do. Michael, perhaps?" He joked.(edited)
Onora was treated for her minor wounds, the doctors dismissing her. They gave her fake hair the replace the clumps that have been torn out, just until they grew back. She looked in the polished mirror. All her hair was there. Onora bounded out of the room, racing down the hall on her one leg. She remembered the wooden stick Nexo had broke. She was disgusted at the name of the human. She quickly located one of the nurses, asking for the room. She nodded, heading for the door. With her breath held, she twist the steel handle gently, hearing a click. She hesitated to continue in.
Demeter buried her face in the fur of his neck, feeling like he was the only other being in the Underland. Thought what he'd said had hurt, she knew that he didn't mean it, and that he really did care about her. But it couldn't last forever. "We just lost the war." She said, muffled by fur.
Jexus wrapped his wings tightly around Demeter. “That we did.” He agreed glumly. “I suppose we must talk to Luxa soon.” He brightened. “I saved Onora though.”
16:14
Howard looked up as Onora entered his room. His eyes widened with joy as he realized who it was. “H-hey.” He managed to croak out hoarsely.
“Hey.” She greeted. Onora slowly walked further into the room, leaning against the wooden door. Her violet eyes scanned Howard, she frowned. “I’m sorry about Kio.” Onora murmured. She didn’t really know him, but he was still someone.
"I'm glad. Onora did not deserve to be taken." Demeter pulled back. "Though, we are running out of time. We must know what will happen to... everyone. If the Prowlers take our land, where will we go?"
Michael saw Demeter enter the room he was in. He’d been eating some sort of weird fish when she and Chloe came in. “Hey, have you tried this fish? It’s so good.”
She knew she had struck something. Onora quietly leaned against the door, her soft gaze tracing the cracks of the hospitals floor. “At least you are better.” And I didn’t lose you. Onora added in her head.
She gnawed on her lips aggressively. Onora spilled herself to Howard, bringing Brief waves of sobs with her. “It broke. That goddamn bitch broke it, right after..after I thought you died. Then she took me hostage,” Onora stammered, her cheeks red. “She tried to get me to talk and..and I said no—-and she tried to kill me so I. I kissed the bitch!” She sobbed.
“Man, Demeter, I’m gonna go on a positive rant for a second. You’re, like, the closest friend I’ve ever had. I’d die for you, and I think you’d die for me. I wish we could set that in stone or something, to prove that we’re as close as can be, like, where if we betrayed each other, we’d be banished, or something, just to prove how close we are. Too bad there’s nothing like that. But if there were, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
Howard’s eyes widened with alarm as Onora spilled herself out to him. He grabbed her hand, taking it in his own. He shook his head. “Shhh” He cooed gently. “N-not your f-fault.” Howard managed to whisper hoarsely.
Onora sobbed bringing herself together. Her hair was pushed out of her face, her dark skin and freckles shinning in the hospital light. She took a deep breath, her lips quivering. Onora gave a nervous chuckle. “Sorry.”
Demeter wiped a little tear away, as there had been so many positive words directed at her that day. She wasn't used to it. "Michael, that's bonding- Did you just ask to bond with me?" She said, a grin widening.
(This is like two middle schoolers who like each other but instead of going on like two dates they have to be willing to die for each other for the rest of their lives)
She sighed in relief, sitting back against the plush chair. Her hands untangled the knots in her hair. Onora had smiled. “Just—-just tell me if you need anything.”
She slowly breathed out, her violet eyes opening. Onora smiled playfully. She gnawed on her lip and spilled her thoughts. “Howard—I. You’re—-you’re cute.”
Genor sighed and rolled away from the catastrophe of a scene that had unfolded. On his way back to his room, he ran into Sky. "Hey Sky." He murmured.(edited)
“I don’t know. Whenever I enter a room everybody usually yells at me, which is pretty entertaining. But if you’re not going to do that, I’d like to speak with you about something important.”
(Okay- I said You guys carry around knives everywhere, why do you need siccors? ALSO why do we have the same name for the same thing that we both invented at different times?)
(Knives exist in the Overland, why would scissors exist too? Not everything they want to cut is a living thing, also what does the second part have to do with what Servus said)
Demeter smiled. "You needn't be embarassed about that. In all honesty, Michael, you are my closest friend, and it would be an honor to be bonded to you."
"It's usually a big event. But we are in the midst of a war. If you truly want to be bonded, the best course of action would be to do so as soon as possible."
Genor stood up. "I'm doing great! Nothing bad at all!" He said, before Demeter fluttered in to tell them, making him fall down in surprise, groaning in pain.
Onora smiled, knowing that Jexus probably asleep somewhere. She planted a kiss on Howard’s forehead and stumbled out of the room. “You’ll finally have a bond Dem—-“
Genor crawled back to his wheel chair and managed to get on, then began wheeling to the sound of Demeter's cry. "What happened? I know somethings? Maybe I can help..."
“Already on it!” Onora called, racing down the hall with a female doctor. She gingerly got someone to clean up the vomit and brought Michael to an open room. “Let him rest, I will be back soon.” She told them softly.(edited)
Howard smiled as he noticed the newcomers. "Bored." He replied, much stronger than the last time Genor had seen him. "I am not allowed to leave my bed."
“I am shocked our armies were so evenly matched. It is a shame. Hopefully, the Gnawers will aid us. They might put their differences aside if we have a common enemy. I cannot imagine how many they lost when the Prowlers came through their territory.”
Genor nod his head in agreement, but then turned back to Howard. “Let us not talk about the war, but how you are. How is the food here? In the Overland, hospital food tasted terrible.”(edited)
Howard laughed slightly. "Depends when that is. I can probably get back to working in the hospital after next week but I'm not sure when I'll be able to fight."
“I don’t know if I want to fight at all. Well, if I can get out of this wheelchair within the next month is the big question of whether I’ll fight or not.” Genor spoke in a soft whisper.(edited)
Genor turned to Demeter and began wheeling himself to the door. “Trust me, walking is a great thing. Let him walk around a little bit. He’ll come back to his bed in ten minutes.”He promised her.(edited)
"Alright. The rest of it goes like this." Demeter cleared her throat. "Demeter the Flier, I bond to you. Our life and death are one, we two. In dark, in flame, in war, in strife, I save you as I save my life."
"In dark, in flame, in war, in strife, I save you as I save my life." Demeter said patiently. "If you'd like, you could write it on your wrist so you do not have to memorize it."
Demeter picked up Michael on her back, and soared down to the training field.Smokeswirl looked up. She was sitting with Shredder. "Well, look who's here."
Nike bounded into the room, smiling. She picked up Howard and Onora without any explanation and flew off to the others. She coasted in for a landing, nodding her head to them.
17:17
“I see I did your job for you, Jexus.” Nike purred.
He held Demeter’s claw. “Demeter the flier, I bond to you. Our life and death are one, we two. In dark, in flame, in war, in strife, I save you as I save my-“
Demeter tried not to burst out laughing, regained her composure, and finished the ceremony. "Michael the human, I bond to you. Our life and death are one, we two. In dark, in flame, in war, in strife, I save you as I save my life."
Genor leaned back against his wheelchair. 'Well, someone asks you Truth or Dare. If you choose truth, then you have to answer truthfully about whatever they ask. If you say dare, then you have to do whatever they dare you to do."
“Just a little bit and we’ll be fine! Get on with it now!” Onora joked. She grabbed the glass bottle and pressed it to her lips. The taste of alcohol lingered in her mouth. She purses her lips.
Demeter frantically combed through her fur with her claws. "Listen- I was going to tell you! I only found out today- one of the doctors did a few tests because I mentioned I was feeling odd while they were fixing up my wing!" Demeter was panicking now. "I would have told you when I had the chance!"
Jexus’ eyes widened in shock, but he noticed how panicked Demeter was. “Shhh, calm down. It’s okay. It’s okay.” He wrapped his wings around her. “Are you serious? You’re actually pregnant?”
“Demeter, you’re pregnant. We’re going to have a child. Don’t you see how awesome that is? Of course I’ll tell them.” (I’m sorry I spent so long thinking of a word instead of awesome but I just couldn’t)
She groaned. “This is painful! I just want to know! Why do you want to keep it from me, or Michael especially!” Onora exclaimed, turning to do Howard’s hair. The dare she was asked to do. She just did a simple ponytail with his hair.
Howard frowned as Onora fiddled with his hair, but turned to look into Jexus’ eyes. “Yeah, shes pregnant.” He told the group, leaning back triumphantly. “You can see it in his eyes.”
“Because are you carrying this little child for however long it takes?” Onora responded to Jexus. She smacked her lips and settled next to Howard once again.(edited)
“Really? We are going to continue the game? I assumed that something like that means I automatically win.” Demeter chuckled. “Fine. Howard! Truth or dare!”
Onora pulled away, hearing Chloe’s comment. Her face was flushed, and very red. Her freckles practically popped out of her skin. With a heavy sigh she leaned on his side.
He stood up, and kissed him back. He was planning this to be a quick peck, but stayed intertwined for a good ten seconds before they broke apart and Sky waddled back to his chair. He fell back onto his wheelchair.
19:38
He cleared his throat. "Your turn..." He said to Sky.
She opened the door and wobbled down the hall. Onora found a place where she could sit. It was outside, open air, open views. She sighed lightly. Her skin was hot, probably from a few minutes ago, but Onora was good.
"Its protective circle with only half of us part of that circle. Then when prowlers come and attack the circle, they will move in close. The other half, the people who are not part of this circle, will go behind the prowlers and get them from behind. Then the bats will rise from the middle of the circle and take out prowlers. Its like a surprise attack x2!" she said laughing clapping her hands
Genor was rolling down the hallway ON HIS WHEELCHAIR NOT ON THE GROUND when he ran across Smokeswirl. “Hey, how’s it going?” He asked in a small voice, worried that she would maul him.(edited)
Genor shrugged. “I don’t know, I thought that you would prefer to sleep isolated, not surrounded by rooms of the people you oh-so hate.”He paused. “Unless if you like us...” He grinned.
“I’m... obviously not sleeping. And just because I’m sleeping in a room next to you doesn’t mean I can hear you. Do you think I have much of a choice, anyways? We’re in the middle of a war.”
“That reminds me. I still need to get back at Howard.” Smokeswirl said, quickly dipping into Howard’s room. She returned a few seconds after, snickering. “I told you I’d do it.”
Genor pondered for a second. “I suppose that could be what they are doing. But just in case, no.” He pulled her aside, and began rolling down the hallway.
Sky was in the training arena at the Fount, having found some metal plates and set them up as targets. He was currently taking some shots at them with his AK, consistently hitting the targets, but not consistant enough for Sky. He needed much better accuracy to be able to save the group.(edited)
Sky jumped at the unexpected noise. He lowered the rifle and looked over to Chloe. He reeeeaaaally wasn't good with kids, so he did his best. He threw on safety. "Oh?"
Genor groaned. "Just fell, nothing to worry about..." He said, still a little flustered from the kiss that had happened during the truth or dare game that they had.
Genor stood up, trying not to show how embarrassed he was. An- And how much like liked that kiss.(edited)
18:54
He tried to throw a dagger at the desired target, usually right on point, but this time fumbled and missed it by a mile. He groaned and slowly inched his way over to the dagger, still trying to get used to walking.
'Of course I'm okay. I'm going to die in 3 weeks, considering I even live for that long. I don't even know why I'm doing this." Genor replied angrily, finally reaching his dagger and sitting down next to it, exhasperated.
"It felt awesome! It's good to know someone always has your back. Okay, let's play a game. If you had to bond with someone, it could be anyone, not just a flier or gnawer, who would it be?"
He nodded, then did a facepalm. "Oh my god, I completely forgot about the baby. Congratulations! I'm really happy for you." Genor said with a warm smile.
"Er, Genor, I am not sure that would be a good idea. That was the name of the Warrior's bond. However, we do have a few names. I am fond of Iris or Artemis, or Helios, possibly."
"It is, but it can only work when the things it fires, called bullets," He holds up a bullet "are actually inside it and the trigger" he points to the trigger "Is pulled."
Genor stuttered on his words. “I just don’t really think that too far into the future. Like a month is the farthest in the future that I think about.”(edited)
20:53
Shredder breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you mind firing it?”
Michael furrowed his brow. “That’s not good. You should think more distantly, otherwise you won’t get a good perspective of how much things really matter.”
He lifted up his shirt to reveal his abs stomach, a deep scar on it. "In around 15 days, I'm going to stop absorbing proteins. After that, It's game over for me." Genor said quietly.
"So? You aren't going to! You just got a new bond, and your new bond is going to have a baby in around two months! You shouldn't focus on this, but focus on the happy things that are happening around you!" Genor said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
“Why would you do that? You don’t even want a real goodbye? What are you gonna do when somebody tries to contact you and they get no response? You’re just gonna lie to all of us and go? You’re gonna lie to Shredder?” Another wave of sobs hit him.
A tear dropped down his face. “It’s so that you don’t have to deal with me. The groups dealing with enough as it is.” He gently stroked Michael’s hair.
"Oh yeah, your safe. As long as you arent in front of me theres no possible way for me to hit you " He said. "You're gonna wanna plug your ears though."
"Watch this!" She took Sky's gun (which she had stole) and took out all of the bullets. She inserted some pellets all with smiley faces on them and aimed her gun away from the both of them. The second she pressed the trigger a volley of multicolored pellets smashed into a wall, painting it different colors. "Wait for it... Wait for it..." A few seconds later, the entire wall blew up, somehow caused by a chemical reaction in the pellets. (thankfully the whole cave didnt come crashing down)
"Thank you so much! These are really cool!" He said, smiling as he took said bag. He loaded a few more in to try then out. "And you wanted me to shoot again, right Shredder?"
(That's v true)
Jexus was strolling absentmindedly along a corridor, vaguely looking for someone to talk to when he bumped into Shredder. “Greetings Shredder. How fare you?”(edited)
Jexus grinned, but there was an element of panic in his voice. “I suppose. To be honest, I am actually quite scared. I have no idea what to do with children.”
Shredder smiled warmly. "Of course it will! You would make a great and protective father, and Demeter- Well, she is the most motherly figure I have ever known."
Shredder shrugged. "I suppose. We were planning on moving, but." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "She cares to much about the rest of the group to do that." She slightly giggled. "Please do not tell her I said that."
Jexus sighed again. “To be honest, I don’t really know. I’ve been spending so much time with Demeter recently, and Onora... well, at least she and Howard are finally doing something.” He grinned slightly. “And she complains about her leg less.”
"Well, what do you want me to do?! Tell everyone that I'm going to die? In the middle of a war? As Howard is dealing with his throat? While Demeter is pregnant?"
18:01
"Speaking of which, where do you believe that the overlanders will live?" She asked.
"Speaking of, what do you think of the War? I believe that we propose an alliance with other creatures; it is the only way to win this." Shredder proposed.
18:08
Hot tears stung in his eye. "Of course I want them to say goodbye! And of course I know that they care about me! But the only reason I am doing this is because I care about you also!"
“Well they want to say goodbye to you! This isn’t a time for ignoring our problems! What if Shredder was about to die but she lied to you? How would you feel if you ever found out?”(edited)
Genor stumbled with his words. "I would never know if she- she ran away to the Rats as a cover up for her death!" He said, but knew how weak his words sounded.
“I... I want you to do what you want to do, but please know that they’d be happier if they knew. I’ll...” He gave Genor a hug and squeezed his eyes shut. “I’ll miss you.” He left the room.
“No. It’s her well being. And then, the baby, I don’t want them to get hurt, or Demeter to have a miscarriage from stress!” Onora stressed. She laid her hand on top of his thighs lightly.
Howard shook his head. “A miscarriage? Onora, don’t be so worried. Those are rare, and we have an entire team of specialised doctors aimed at pregnancies.”
Howard moved his hand down onto her (existing) leg. “You should relax. I’m sure everything will be fine.” He said, gently brushing her thigh with his thumb.
Her hair was gathered on top of her head, held together in a messy bun. Onora flipped through the paper in the book. It was a story about how a girl was lost, and death almost was her final outcome—at least that’s what she read so far. Onora settled back against the bed pillows as she continued to read.(edited)
“I mean, sort of. It’s just like boring? As of right now.” Onora said, shrugging. She bent the corner of the page, and closed the hard cover book. The halflander placed it on her nightstand, sitting up on the bed with a smile. “I want to talk about something.”
“I want to possibly thinking of, getting a prosthetic. So I could walk on my own, and—not need anyone’s help.” She explained, her violet eyes watched him. Onora waited for his reaction.
Onora grinned. Her dark skin was hidden under the soft covers, but anyone could see the smile on her face. “Then I could fight! Like, actually fight!” Onora exclaimed.
“I think, maybe tomorrow? I’ve seen some around. Maybe.” She mused, resting her head against the soft pillow. Onora snaked her other hand over to Howard. She sorta hugged him with one arm.
Onora quietly stalked out of bed, hopping out of the room. She scanned the halls, looking for Demeter. Onora couldn’t find her, so she found Jexus instead. “Have you seen Demeter?”
Upstairs in the palace, Shredder rushed to Snokeswirls room. “Smokeswirl! I have just been informed that Demeter was taken by the Prowlers!” She said quickly.
She pulled at her paw frantically. “I do not know, Smokeswirl! We have to be at the Waterway if we want to go with the rescue team.” She said, and left with Smokeswirl by her side.
As Shredder ran, she frantically stumbled around with her words.”Mi- Michael And Demeter where sitting on the Waterway when Prowlers attacked them. Michael tr-tried his best to fend th-them off, but, you th-they knocked out his sw-sword. Ripred ca-came by and got rid of them, but they got away with D-Demeter. Now we are going to rescue her before she kills Demeter and he-her baby.” She said through tears.(edited)
Genor was roaming the halls, looking for a fresh pair of clothes and his daggers when he saw Sky. Trying his best to go unnoticed, he averted his gaze and hoped that he didn’t notice him.(edited)
"W-well.. uhm.. I-I kinda.. uh.." He had gone through it many times in his head but now he couldn't get it out. "You're really important to me.. and I just.. dont get killed on this trip.. ok? I want you to last as long as you can.." That was a failure but he was trying.
Howard noticed how genuinely upset Sky was and placed his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "He might just be stressed from the whole Demeter thing. Talk to him again after this trip."
"That's good that your there for her. She was acting almost aggressively scared for Dementer when I found her." He said. He was worried for Onora with how she was when he found her.
Howard slowly removed the hand, and looked deep into Sky's eyes. "Farewell." He whispered. "Human Comfort." *Howard took off running down the corridor.
Smokeswirl looked down at Chloe sharply. "You would not be able to handle seeing Demeter in this state." She said, not realizing Chloe didn't know it was Demeter who was hurt.
Jexus sat outside the operating room, but started as Chloe ran up. “Chloe, no!” He said, picking her up with his claw. “You can see her later. The doctors are talking to her now” He said, instinctively guessing what she wanted to do.
Jexus eyes widened as he noticed Demeter waking up. “Demeter!” He cried, rushing over. “He paused just before the bed.” *How... how are you feeling?”(edited)
Jexus nodded with sympathy. “Don’t try and move. The doctors can give you some more painkillers soon.” He paused, his face full of pain. “Demeter... the baby...”
"Demeter. We did not want to cause more stress so soon after waking up, however, there is really no good time to say this." She paused. "There was no way the fetus survived your ordeal. There is no motion or sign of life."
Jexus stormed out of the room. He knew he should stay with Demeter, but he couldn’t handle this right now. He couldn’t stand anymore heartbreak, but he eventually pulled out the note Genor had given him.
Sky was walking near the hospital when he saw Jexus and Chloe leave the room, knowing that was pry where Dementer was. He walked into the room. "Hey Dementer."
Hey Jexus. Don’t read this aloud. Don’t tell anyone about this. I was going to die an inevitable death as of in two days. I’m scared, so excuse me for any weird punctuoajions. I threw myself in that cave to let Demeter and her child escape. I’m never coming out. I was going to die soon anyway, but Demeter still had a chance to make it. She had a child. You were her father. My life was pretty much done at this point, but you three have so much more to go. You’ll be a great father, I just know it. And as for the group... Tell no one of what I did. Tell them I was a traitor. Tell them I went over to their side and jeopardized you mission. Tell them anything. Lies. I know this will be hard, but it won’t let them grieve, but give them anger and fuel themselves to fight in the war. As a dying man, this is my last and only thing I will ever ask of you or anyone.I believe in you, enjoy the rest of your life. Don’t think about me. Signing for the last time, Genor
Onora walked the halls In search of Jexus. She heard about the rescue, but she needed to know how Demeter’s current state was. She approached Jexus quietly, leaning against the wall for support. “You ok?”
“H~how? Did that bitch...did she kill it?” Onora questioned softly. She clenched her teeth, already knowing the answer. Onora already knew what had to be done. Not yet, but soon.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She ran to Jexus, hugging his large frame. “I’m sorry.” She murmured. The two stood there in embrace for about 5 minutes. Not wanting to let go.
Jexus sighed, and suddenly everything spilled out of him. “He sacrificed himself. Look at the note. He did it so Demeter could survive, so she could give birth, but now that’s gone as well and...” He broke down, sobbing “I can’t deal with it. I just can’t do it. I’ve lost so much... I... I’m not sure what I have left.”
She stroked Jexus’ fur, shushing him. “We will get Genor back, Demeter is safe. You need to stay with Demeter. Just hang on a little longer.” Onora said. Tears welled up within her own violet eyes, but she held onto them. “I promise everything will be alright.”
“How?” Jexus looked her, his black eye staring into hers. “Even if we save them all, we are still at war. When does it end Onora? This world is so f*cked up that in the end you lose everything. How can I go through life knowing that is how it is going to end?”
“Jexus, we will live through the war. The world is still messed up, yes. But hold on, because people still want you. You can’t leave your mate, or anyone else.” Onora replied. “Demeter still needs you,” Onora lowered the tone of her voice, her eyes spilling the tears she held onto. “I still need you.”(edited)
Demeter lay in her hospital bed staring emptily up at the ceiling, tears still wet on her face. The female doctor had kept her company for a while out of pity, but eventually had to leave. She was alone.
Michael entered the room for the first time since she’d been rescued. “Hey, Demeter. I’m so sorry I haven’t visited you, but Onora and I were looking for you and we got lost for a while, so I’ve been really exhausted. Are you okay?”(edited)
“Hey.” Jexus’ voice wavered as he slowly approached Demeter. “I just... I think...” Jexus sighed gently. “I love you Demeter.” Jexus said as he wrapped his wings around her.
Onora smiled lightly, but furrowed her brows in anger. This wasn’t a happy thing to see. Nexo and the Prowlers destroyed their lives. “I’m sorry Demeter.”
“No you were not. You could’ve had the child safely.” Onora replied softly. She never had a child, heck. She wasn’t even planning to right now. So she couldn’t truly understand how Demeter felt. With a sigh she smiled at what Jexus said.(edited)
“I agree with Jexus. You may also try again for a child. God will give you the gift of having one. I’m sure of it.” She walked over to Demeter and smiled. “As of now you need to focus on getting better.” She finished.
“No, she will die. Not by you. You will hurt yourself more than you already have if you try and kill her.” Onora looked down softly, thinking of all the potential opportunities if Demeter were to kill her.
“I am not the one to say you are not going to do it. I am saying if you are you kill her than you may hurt yourself more.” She replied. Onora tried to keep her tone of voice low and calm. She didn’t want to argue right now.
“You can rip her head off for all I care. All I want her is dead. And when you kill her she won’t be going up to see god. She’ll be sent to hell. She’s ruined everything. You, Jexus, the baby, Genor, and everyone else. Nexo is a bitch, she needs to die! And I don’t give a shit about who does it.” Onora raised her voice, her brows furrowed. A single tear dripped down the side of her cheek. She wiped it quickly.(edited)
“So you can’t be saying ‘I don’t care what happens to me.’ Other people do, Demeter! Jexus, Michael, everyone! They’ve grown attached to you! So if you die, I will rip myself apart. You aren’t dying. Not today. Not until you’ve lived your happiest moments!” She clenched her teeth. Onora balled her fists out of anger.
Jexus turned to Demeter. “Why? Don’t put yourself in a pit just because one event! Demeter, you’re still alive, and you still have so many things left in your life. Don’t you dare even think that you have nothing left, because there is no way that is true.”
Onora watched Jexus, no expression what so ever. She got that it was sad, but it was behind her. This was wasting their time. “I’ll let Jexus finish it off..” Onora said softly before walking out of the room.
He took her claw. “You still have Michael, you still have Onora, you still have all your other friends.” Jexus paused, then choked out the next sentence. “You still have me. And I will never leave you, because I love you Demeter. I love you more than anything else”(edited)
Demeter stayed silent, looking off into the distance. She didn't want to hurt them, but everything felt so far away. Her life had peaked, hadn't it? "For now. Everything that comes to me seems to go away. Nothing will last."
Jexus sighed. “Demeter. If I say I will never leave you, then I mean that I will never leave you. And I can say for certain that no one else will either. Michael is your bond. Onora is one of your best friends. I am your mate and would-be father of your child. Don’t you dare assume that you will lose everything just because of one tragedy. Life has so much more left to give you, but if you don’t stand up and take it... well, I suppose that’s okay as well. Because we will all still be there for you.”(edited)
Howard smiled and took Onora’s hand. “I know everything seems a bit bleak right now... but I’m pretty sure it will turn out okay.” He murmured quietly as they walked towards the hospital.(edited)
Demeter was so unbelievably tired from everything. She just leaned back her head and wept, unable to accept anything anyone said. It was too early.
(I gotta scoot bye)
Jexus sighed and let Demeter cry. He understood that it was too soon, and she needed to rest. He walked towards the door, turned back once more. “Demeter... good luck.” He said quietly, before closing the door behind him.
18:02
Howard turned towards Onora’s face. He bit his lip. “Perhaps you just need to sleep? We can do anything else later.” He suggested.
Jexus looked around for Sky, and eventually found him sitting against the wall. This was going to be the one of the hardest things he would ever have to do, but he gently sat down next to the teenager. “Sky... about Genor...”
Howard lay in bed when Onora emerged from the bathroom, and called her over. “You can rest now. We will do everything else later.”
18:10
Jexus exhaled shakily. “Sky... Genor was working with the Prowlers. When Nexo captured him, that was just show. He’s been feeding information to Kling ever since he arrived at the Fount.”
She nodded tiredly. Onora lifted up the covers and crawled in next to Howard. Onora faced the ceiling, closing her violet eyes slowly. She drifted off into a deep sleep soon after.
"Bullsht. And how would you know this, hmm?" *Sky denied it immediately. Theres no way! Was there? No. He was too good a kid. Little overreactive at times but still a good kid.. right..?
Howard fell asleep as well, his arm lightly pressed against Onora’s. He had a ton of things to think about, but knew they could wait until morning.
18:14
Jexus bit his lip. He had thought through what he was going to say beforehand. “We found copies of the letters and documents in his room. As well as small hiding spots just outside of the city where he would leave them to be picked up. I... I’m so sorry.”
18:16
(Also Why would think of him as a kid if you were attracted to him hmmmmm)
"No. No.." He wasn't able to keep it together no matter how hard he tried. He stood and just started running. He didnt know where he was going or where he was gonna end up.
Jexus stayed where he was and screwed up his eyes. He would have to do this again and again for everybody else. Even Demeter, whom he couldn’t imagine lying to.(edited)
Jexus sat quietly in his room. His mind was preoccupied by many things; the war, Genors sacrifice, Demeters worsening mental state and the death of his child. He sighed. It all felt like too much.
Helen stood on the moss of the training field, her light sword zipping through the air swiftly, unconsciously practicing her tactics against some imaginary opponent. Her mind was elsewhere, though. Helen had just been moved out of training, and was officially a part of the army. Just in time, too, because the war was not yet over, and the hardest part was yet to come. The others in her group who were also training sparred with each other, but since it was an odd group, she was left without a partner. So she sliced at the air calculatedly.
Howard wandered onto the training arena, intending to spar with someone, but spotted a girl he didn't know fighting the air just aside. He frowned and walked over.(edited)
Helen blocked the attack again, taking that chance to slip under his weapon while bracing against it with her sword. She managed to get behind Howard, pointing her blade at his back.
Helen nodded, grinning, before Howard managed to knock the blade from her hand. She swore loudly and, covered her mouth. “Nice fighting.” She said, retrieving her weapon.
Jexus shook his head. “Nor eat or drink.” He admitted quietly. “She’s being discharged tomorrow, but... I don’t know if she wants to stay here... stay with me.”
“Don’t you ever think that way. If she was eager enough to make a baby with you, then of course she loves you! Don’t doubt it.” Onora didn’t dwell on the fact that Demeter couldn’t live him, because of course she did! Anyone who didn’t know them could see that.
Jexus was silent. “I haven’t been to see her since us three talked. I haven’t even asked how she’s feeling. I... I was terrified she was going to tell me to leave.”
“Jexus, stop thinking that way!” She said, her brows furrowed. “You know it isn’t like that, she’s just sad about the baby. She will get over it.” Onora sighed deeply. She so wanted to say end of discussion, but she wanted to let Jexus breathe. Tell her his problems.
“If you’d like to.” Onora smiled, letting out a relived sigh. At least he was going out. Not staying all cooped up. She sat up and pushed open the door, eventually locating an exit.
She gasped in disbelief. “As if I would ever!” Onora exclaimed, getting up onto Jexus. “I have to try something out later. I want you to come too.” Onora told him.(edited)
Jexus frowned. With Onora, that was never good. “Okay.” He said finally, launching off. It had been ages since he and Onora had flew together just more fun.
Blood pumped through her veins as Jexus’ took of into the air. It was nice to have her long hair fly around and crowd her face. She watched the building shrink as they began to go higher.
Eventually Jexus stopped, his wings beating steadily as they hovered midair. They had to be at least a few miles in the air, watching the ant-like people crawl their way beneath them. Jexus was panting already; he was unfit after so little exercise last month.(edited)
“Jexus do you need a break?” Onora asked, noticing his panting. He seemed like—-a giant dog. She couldn’t understand why she thought that. “You, ever seen a dog?”
At this point Chloe was changed. Gone were the playful times and her innocence. She finally understood that people didn't just go to sleep. It was not as if they would come back. She looked down at the card she had so carefully drawn out for the baby. It was a picture of Demeter, Jexus, and a little baby bat in the middle. She felt as if everyone who had cared for her got hurt. Her parents, Demeter (even if for a few minutes), and Paradox. She wanted to help everyone so badly, but every time she helped someone, they would just get hurt. Her ninth birthday was coming up and she felt as if no one cared. She remembered that on her last birthday, Paradox had managed to steal a cookie for her and put a candle on it. Chloe started remembering that nobody even knew that her birthday was coming up. If everyone who cares for me gets hurt, I might as well just be by myself.
Demeter was still in her bed, not being allowed to leave by the doctors. They took good care of her, and spent as much time as they could in her room, but she didn’t receive many visitors. She looked up as she heard the tapping at the door, calling for them to come in. She expected another doctor.
“I don’t know. It’s just been quiet. I expected you to be somewhere dealing with things on your own. I am not mad, it’s just what I expected.” Demeter said. Her tone was calmer than before, less grief stricken, but still carried exhaustion.
Jexus nodded. “I’m so sorry I left you alone for so long, it was just...” He trailed off. “However hard this is for me, it must be a hundred times harder for you.”
Jexus shook his head adamantly. “Yes I do. I cannot leave you alone whilst you do this.” Jexus’ eye suddenly widened slightly. “Unless, of course, you do not want me to be here...”
Demeter sighed and let a few tears fall. "I do not want anyone else to be there during, but if you were able to get Michael to come afterward, or maybe one or two other close friends, it would mean a lot. I hate to be alone."
Jexus screwed up his eyes. Countless times he had wondered if lying was the best thing to do, but now he had no clue. “They found documents and letters in his room, and proof that he has been sharing them with the Prowlers.”
Chloe had finally collected all of her things, which wasn't much. She had her hammer, and a few pieces of food. She steeled herself by saying that by going, she would be helping everyone else. They probably won't notice anyway.
Michael entered his room and slammed the stone door behind him. He fell onto his bed and started crying- about Genor, Demeter, her baby, and many other things.(edited)
Helen casually strolled down the hall, hands in her pockets. Her sword hung from her waist, safely tucked away in its sheath. She entered the room she was told she’d be staying in now that she was officially a soldier. They’d told her she would have to share quarters, which she didn’t mind. Things were getting crowded at the Fount ever since Regalia relocated there. Especially the military housing rooms. Hopefully she’d get along with her roommate. When she looked around, she took a step back when she saw Michael. “Woah. Overlander.” She shook her head. “Sorry, that was rude. I didn’t expect an Overlander to be in here, just another boring soldier. I was told this was the room I would be housed in.”
“Well, a few months ago, in a battle with the prowlers, he was stabbed with a sword that had poison on it. He was going to die, but he told no one save me and...” he paused, unsure of how to describe Sky. “...an intimate friend. I convinced him not to, to let us have a chance to say goodbye to him. But then, my bond was kidnapped, and he sacrificed himself to save all of us, which I’m grateful for, of course... but he told everyone that he was a traitor, that he was allied with the prowlers the whole time. He lied. He thought we’d be happier being angry at him instead of celebrating him. The only reason I know is I was able to see through his lies. And I’m mad... but I am overwhelmed with grief. And I miss him. If he’s not dead yet, he’s being tortured.”(edited)
"It is. Worst of all, I can't tell anyone else, because that would disrespect his dying wish. He will go down in history as a traitor when in reality he is a hero and the only reason I'm still standing."
Edwynn stumbled out of a rather large tunnel. Pushing the vines out of the way she was met with a hustle and bustle of city life. Cass! We’re back! She shouted at her bond. Cass was laying about 50feet behind Edwynn on her belly. Her left foot was broken and she had a nasty gash in her right wing. Edwynn runs back to help her upThe pair stumbles out into the city. Help! I need a doctor! Edwynn yells in a raspy voice.
Thank you Whispers Cass, exhausted. She extends her good wing to Edwynn and she grasps her claw. Edwynn lowers her head to the claw in her hand and a wave or relief rushes over her.
Helen was running steady laps around the training field, when she stopped, seeing Ripred sitting in the moss. She stopped, slowly approaching him. "Are you the Peacemaker?"
Helen paused. She remembered seeing him during the last big war with the gnawers, but only from afar. He had never been as dopey as he was at the moment. "Uh, I'm Helen. I just recognized you."
Onora used the wall for support as she made her way around the place. She descended down some stairwells, and into confusing corridors. Onora shook her head, sighing in relief, she found Demeter’s room once again. She slowly knocked on her door for permission to enter.(edited)
Ripred fished a small scroll that one of the doctors had wrote for him. It explained who he was and what happened to him. The disease he got, his mental capacity/age, etc. “I Red!” He said proudly.(edited)
Helen stared at the sheet, shaking her head. What a shame. Since she was tired of running, though, she thought she'd talk to him. She handed back the scroll. "How are you, Ripred?"
Edwynn woke up in the hospital, feeling slightly drowsy. She sat up and a sudden panic scanning the room for Cass. Cass!? She yelled. When there was no answer she got up and quietly padded out into the hall. She gently pulled aside the curtain to the room next to hers. Hello? * She was met by an unconscious underlander she had never seen before. Moving to the next curtain she pulled it back to reveal Demeter.* D-Demeter? She asked
Shredder hesitated. “Jexus got her pregnant. They’re officially mates. But... Nexo got a hold of her, that bitch. She tortured her and.... the baby is... do you want to tell her Demeter?” She said sadly.
Onora sat in silence, she would let Shredder or Demeter answer that. Her hands tensed, she sat in the chair slumped over, her elbows wresting against her thighs.
Onora sat in the room near Jexus, her heart ached with sadness. The air surrounding them felt heavy. She didn’t know what to say, not wanted to say anything.
Demeter lay on her back staring up at the ceiling, having cried enough that day. Memories of seeing the dead pup flashed through her head. It looked a lot like her. Small, weak. Dead.
Onora tried to comfort her bond, rubbing her fur with her hand gently. She prayed for the couple, hoping they would be okay. Her bottom lip quivered, she didn’t dare to make eye contact with anyone.
Sadness lingered around the room, seeing that this struck Demeter hard. But this couldn’t last forever, would it? She spoke softly, staring aimlessly at the ground. But she hesitated, and ended up pursuing her lips tightly instead.
How do you feel? Cass whispered to Demeter. We all truly want you better in order to face Nexo and the seemingly impending war. She added, trying to be positive.(edited)
“May you excuse me.” She said, standing up and pushing open the door. Onora shut it softly, leaning against the wall as she softly cried into her hands. This was—just to much. Demeter was broken, and so was Jexus. It wasn’t right!
Edwynn stood and followed Onora into the corridor. I will hunt Nexo down and kill her with my bare hands if that’s what it takes. She said, spitting fire with each word.
Edwynn saw the fire and hatred in Onora’s eyes. Even better. She responded, her eyes darkening. Shall we be excellent friends and deliver Nexo right to Demeter so she can do what she pleases with the murderous psychopath? Edwynn inquired, overcome with anger and sadness.
Onora watched the door intensely, her eyes filling with hatred. “It would make it easier for her.” She said softly, wiping her nose. With a short pause she spoke. “Yes.” Onora agreed softly.
As Chloe walked by Demeter's room, she dropped a crayon covered card explaining why she had left, and it had a colorful drawing of Jexus and Demeter holding hands with the rest of the gang.
A sharp knock on Demeter’s door startled Jexus from his thoughts, and he slowly walked over to open up. A red faced guard stood there, panting heavily. “Qu... Queen Luxa requests your presence at an urgent war council!” He said, before rushing off, presumably to tell everyone else. Jexus raised an eyebrow at Demeter.
Onora heard the message, this made her inhale sharply. She grabbed hold of Shredder, helping herself up from the wall. Onora headed down the hall, looking back at Shredder, “Erm—where is that?”
“Take it easy.” Jexus said, gently placing his wing on her back. “Don’t over-exert yourself.” He noticed Onora looking down the hallway in confusion. “Onora! Follow us.” He said, before leading them down to the war council chamber.
Luxa glanced up at the newcomers, a note of concern in her eye about Demeter, but then thrust a note towards the group. “Read.” She commanded, clenching her fists.
Howard unfurled the note.To whom it may concern,
At exactly 1700 hours on the day you receive this letter, an envoy consisting of two Prowlers and one Overlander will be sent to treat with you and accept your surrender. The killing of any of this envoy, or the refusal to surrender will result in a second Prowler attack on your city, wherein our forces will bury underneath your walls and attack from the inside. I strongly advise you to at least meet with the envoy and consider their proposal.
Kling.
Onora stifled a gasp as her muscles began to tighten. Her brows furrowed in thought and frustration. Surely they couldn’t harbour more attacks, that would cause the cities downfall. She looked at Luxa with hard eyes.
“Yes.” Luxa replied, confused. “But I must make this perfectly clear. Under no circumstances are any of you given leave to attack or injure any of this envoy.”
Luxa gazed round at the group, her gaze eventually landing on Onora. Luxa knew Jexus and Demeter would accept her orders for now, but she was not sure about the halflander.
She stuttered, looking at Luxa with fear. “Y-yes your majesty.” Onora grabbed onto the nearest thing she could find, steading herself. Deep down in her stomach, she knew something wasn’t right with Luxa. She didn’t dare to say that aloud though.
Onora moved from her place, she wanted to be the last one out. Her curly hair covered her nervous face. She bit her lip, drawing blood from the lower one.
Luxa led the group up to the city walls, before taking her place in the small overhang and waiting. Before long, three figure, one distinctly human became visible from the distance.
Nexo stood between the two Prowlers, grinning as she approached the city. “Well I never! Look who it is. I mean, I don’t know any of your names, but still...” She said, stopping just a couple metres from the wall.
Onora stood still, motionless. Everything in her right mind wanted her to move from where she was, and slit Nexo’s throat. But she could—-but would not. Her gaze shifted to Jexus, seeing how he was taking this encounter.
Understood. Luxa Replied calmly. We shall deliberate and send message of our decision within a few hours. Pleasure speaking with you. She turned on her heels and began her ascent up the stairs into the city.
Onora let out a sigh of relief. They weren’t jumping straight into this. She looked at Nexo, picturing a dagger striking her in the neck. A chill sent down her spine. She went to find Howard.
Onora watched Demeter, she stumbled over to her, whisking her away from that horrible person. “Are you alright?” She asked. “We can go somewhere more private if you want to.”
Cass gingerly got out of her hospital bed. She was told to exercise her wing and broken foot, carefully. She hobbles out in the corridor to do some laps around the floor. She turns a corner and almost rubs face first into ripred. Greetings! she said
She walked into a room filled with food and a couple of other injured patients. She spotted a platter of fish and gingerly took it. Sitting down at a table she turned to wait for Ripred.
Shrimp? I like shrimp too. I think it is very good with cream sauce. She smiled at him, trying not to make the conversation too complicated for the poor rat.
Michael woke up, glanced at Helen, still asleep, and felt miserable. He decided to visit Shredder and leave Jexus and Demeter to themselves. He entered her room. "Hey."
"I feel really bad for all the mean stuff I said about him yesterday. He just wanted to save us from grief, and none of us would even be breathing if he hadn't sacrificed himself. I didn't know who to apologize to, so I just went to his closest friend."(edited)
She hesitated. “I was physically there, but not mentally. They offered a meeting. If we refused meeting, they would raid the city. If we hurt or killed the party, they would raid the city. And in the negotiations, they said to give up our lands or they would raid the city.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. But I don’t think that he could be coping with him well- If he wants to die, it wasn’t because of Nexo. I’m worried what he will do to himself.”
“No, it’s that... While I was healing his stomach wound for a good two weeks, we talked. A lot. And he opened up to me about- How he didn’t believe in emotions. If he was being tortured, he’d take it. Easily. His wanting to die is external. I think.”
Michael looked down. “That’s terrible. It’s hard to imagine him saying that after he sacrificed himself for Ripred. Did he do that for no reason, then?”
17:00
( @3katsiMe (Gen/Shr/Jes) )
17:01
(Chloe should Burst in now @Ewfawfa (Nexus/Coilthroat/Chloe) )
Helen was walking down the hall, mostly just wandering around. She passed by the doorway to Shredder's roomso someone could interact with her so wolf can jump in
Jexus nodded, gingerly rubbing his head. “I’ve been through worse.” He said, smiling inwardly as Helen tried to avoid looking at his eye. He was used to it by now.
“Helen, we don’t know where our friend Chloe is. She’s an Overland child, significantly younger than all of us, so she’d be pretty easy to spot. Can you help us find her?”(edited)
Jexus nodded and walked to Chloe’s room, opposite his and Demeter’s. “Chloe? Are you in there?” Jexus asked gently, knocking on the door with his claw.
“Don’t be sorry, but I was thinking just asking a few people around the palace, but how would they know? Jexus, is Demeter able to fly? Maybe we should split up and look for her.”
Jexus bent down to let Helen on then took off towards the arena. “We’re looking for an eight year old girl with dark hair. Very clearly and Overlander.”
Jexus nodded, and started circling the arena, but his wingbeats started to slow quickly. He was incredibly tired, having slept very little the past week out of concern for Demeter and Genor.
Shredder picked herself up. She had been not sleeping for the last few nights. “What? Oh. I don’t think we can win this without the help from other creatures.”(edited)
Jexus nodded and leant in. “Luxa means to send a group to attempt to ally with the gnawers, and perhaps even others such as stingers. Most of us have been chosen to go.”
Jexus bit his lip. It was a habit he had learned from Onora. “Perhaps. They are stubborn, but the right people may be able to convince them to aid us.”
Jexus suddenly grinned and looked at Cass. “But enough about politics. Let us talk about our friends.” He glanced at Shredder. “So... Howard and Onora, Shredder and Smokeswirl, Demeter and I... who do you like, Cass?”
You and Onora are an excellent team and I would prefer the two of you to have Edwynn and I’s back. I like Howard, he thinks like and reminds me of Edwynn. Demeter is exceptionally sweet and a very good friend; Michael too. They are good for each other. Smokeswirl is very intelligent but makes me uneasy in her unpredictability. And Shredder, Cass turned to face the rat. is my favorite gnawer. Don’t tell ripred She giggled.
There’s got to be someone y- Jexus’s sentence was interrupted by a nurse who burst into the room. Are you comfortable with sharing a room? We are filling up rooms faster than we can discharge patients. Cass nodded at the nurse.* Of course. She Replied. The nurse nodded and scampered back out into the hall. Seconds late the door was burst open again by a gurney. A large black bat covered in bandages was wheeled in. Cass looked at Jexus questioningly. Do you know him Jexus? She asked in a low voice.(edited)
Jexus glanced up and was instantly jealous of the bat’s larger physique and sexy fur patterns. “No.” He said, narrowing his eyes at the flier’s muscles.
A nurse rushed around frantically, trying to find some of his friends to tell. She burst into the room that Michael was in. "Your friend lives!" She said quickly, then ran away, looking for others.
Michael sat on his bed, looking at the wall. He sighed. His friends were in horrible condition right now. This would be the perfect time for some good news to cheer him up.
Michael raised an eyebrow but ignored her. She wasn’t specific enough for that statement to have any meaning, and he was too depressed to think any harder.
Sky was confused, not knowing what she meant at first, but as he thought he realized it must be someone they lost, and they lost Genor recently.. wait. Hes back? He sprinted down the halls to the hospital.
As Sky frantically showed up on the door, a Doctor stopped him. “He’s in critical condition. We request you to stay outside unless if your name falls under ‘Shredder, Michael, or Sky’, as he requested.” The stern doctor said simply.
(How though, Coilthroat isn't gonna be a nice guy. I could get Nexus. Or you could say the nurse's rumors got to you. Just because Coilthroat helped Genor doesn't mean he will interact with anyone else.)
Genor looked terrible. The nurse had taken off his shirt as he just threw up on it, exposing his bare, weak and bony chest. It was bloody and purple on the bottom right side from multiple kicks. A few daggers still lay deep in his body, needing medical help to remove them. And deep cuts and scratches where painted across his body.
Sky looked down. A dagger to the eyes. Why would people be like that and do sh1t like that to good people? He felt anger rise up in him. "Genor.. I'm so sorry.." He said softly.
He knew that part of this was on him.. he didnt take the shot.. and that cost Genor so much.. He didnt say any of this though. Instead he said "I'm just glad your back."
Genor paused for a moment. “I wanted to die. For 5 days straight, I wanted to die. But every time that rock that I was trying collide in with my skull got close to me, I thought about you. How much I missed you. How much- how much I like you, Sky.”
Sky smiled slightly. "I'm glad that you didnt die Genor. And I like you too. a lot." He was hoping that Genor was gonna say what he thought he was gonna say.
(Sorry didnt see the message)
Sky was shocked at first, but then kissed back. He was on cloud 9 having Genor back and then hearing that Genor loved him.
Michael looked at Genor and had to resist the urge to scream in danger. “When I get my hands on that little bitch, I’m gonna rip her arms off and then throw her into the Waterway!”
Edwynn walked down the hallway to go see her bond. She had just been discharged and wanted to see if she could persuade the doctors to let the both of them rest in their quarters. She saw Michael dip into a room and she decided to follow him. She lightly knocked on the door. It is Edwynn, May I enter?
Genor continued sobbing. “I lied to all of you. I let myself get captured. Just as I let myself get stabbed. And then I put the grief on you. I put the anger on you. And then I made you carry the burden of all my pain.”
"No it isn't Genor. You thought you were doing the right thing. And that's all you can do. And thanks to you we saved Dementer and we have you back now."
Genor picked up the closest thing next to him: a lamp, and threw it at the wall. “Only saving Demeter was worth it. But I’ll kill her for the loss of their child.” He sneered, then lay down, his head hurting from the anger.
Genor’s hand tightly gripped Sky’s hand that rested on the bed. “Thank you.” He said meekly. “But what will happen to me? Will I become useless? How could I possibly do anything useful for the rest of my life? I can barely walk without running into a wall- my rager skills can be considered to be discarded at this point.”
"You will never be useless. People will still need you, for support and for strategies. And Gregor had learned echolocation, so I'm sure you can too. Then you won't need eyes."
Genor sat up, his smile slightly faltering. “Would you look at us. Already calling our home the Overland.” Genor said, trying to distract him from Sky’s obvious lies to make him feel better.(edited)
Edwynn came back to the room after checking on her bond. She figured they were busy and didn’t think much of it. She knocked again. It is Edwynn, May I come in?
Genor began groping around. “Could someone give me my blindfold? Empty, infected, and uncleaned eye sockets aren’t exactly appealing to the eye.” He said.
Well after we got separated in the tunnels Cass and I were ambushed by Chushers. One broke several bones in her foot. We tried to find you all again but we ran into prowlers. Her wing got torn and she was no longer able to fly. We stumbled out of the tunnels into Shredder a few days ago. She is down the hall sharing a room with a bat named Kalix. Edwynn explained.
Genor shook his head. “Death is peace. I want her to suffer in the dungeons of the Fount, kept on the verge of death.”(edited)
23:04
Genor lifted his head up, before falling down onto his pillow, passed out.
23:05
The Doctors rushed into the room. “Took him Damn long enough!” The head surgeon said. “Everyone, out!” He ordered, before pulling up his mask and turning away.
I do not remember much. He Replied solemnly. I was sent from Regalia to the deadlands for a simple reconnaissance mission. We were just to map out any gained or lost territory. I remember a couple of prowlers knocking the human off my back and then it crashed me. I woke up here.
I do not have one. He replied. I am a soldier and if we do not have a bond we are simply assigned a person. The option to bond with them or any other is still available to us. We just train with them. I cannot remember his name. I had only trained with him for a day or so before the mission.
She nodded. “We where on a mission together, to negotiate with the Prowlers. On the way back, we got split up. She appeared some days ago with her bond, Edwynn.”
If you are in need of assistance or simply another flier I would be honored to accompany you. I have failed my last mission and must redeem myself. He said, lowering his head.
Oh. I had not heard that. He Replied, anger building for the enemy. in any case are you in need of an extra flier? I have heard what these prowlers have done and would happily help you exact some revenge.
Excellent. He Replied. I have met Jexus and Cass out of your group so far. You lot seem like you know what you are doing. It has been some time since I have had friends like that. He said sadly.
Shredder sat down, in deep thought. “We have me, Smokeswirl, Jexus, Demeter, Onora, Edwynn, Cassiopeia, you, Sky, Michael, Ripred, and Ge-“ She paused. “No, that is everybody.”(edited)
Jexus rushed through the hopsital, bursting into rooms then muttering 'sorry' when it wasn't who he was looking for. He finally found Genor's room and froze as he saw the teenager lying in his bed. "Genor?" He asked quietly.
Jexus frown grew as he remembered a story he had once heard from Aurora. "Apparently... apparently the warrior learnt how to do it, but I do not how true that is..."
Genor suddenly picked up his replacement lamp and threw it against the wall, only laying back down once he heard the satisfying shatter of glass. “But I can’t! I won’t! I’ll sit in my room, crying all day from my miserable self pity unless I at least try to do this.”
Genor gingerly stood up. He didn’t care that the doctors told him that he couldn’t walk. He gingerly managed to get down on his wheelchair, making noises of discomfort as he slowly wheeled himself out the door. He knew his room was across from Cass’, so he managed to get into Cass’ room. “Cass?” He said quietly. “Are you awake?”
He laughed. “I suppose I will be loving in, eventually, but they haven’t finish operating on me yet. After doing so, they sad I’d be taken to the room across the hall.”
Jexus narrowed his eye at Genor, stared passive-aggressively at Kalix then walked over to Cass’ bed. She was deeply asleep. He sighed. “I’ll talk to her later.”(edited)
So, Genor..Echolocation. The bat started awkwardly. the basis of it is you make a consistent and quick noise and are able to determine proximity by hearing.
Genor hesitated. “I haven’t even gotten any procedures. I really shouldn’t even be out of bed. Regardless of me being in a wheelchair.” He said quietly.(edited)
Genor nodded. “They need much space to do operations. However, they have not started, so much of it is empty. Or so I have been told.”He said simply.(edited)
Perfect. We can go there. You should be in bed anyhow. Kalix smiled, getting out of bed. The door is about 3 feet to your left. He added trying to be helpful.(edited)
First things first you must figure out a sound to use. I have heard that most humans make a clicking noise with their tongue. Find a sound that sounds consistent and clear to you. He instructed.
Now I will move around the room and you try to determine my location. I will move around every ten seconds or so as quietly as I can, He chuckled. and you point to where you think I am. He immediately fluttered over to Genors right side.
No. Not quite. Kalix responded. If the sound hits the wall it should sound echoed and hollow. If the sound hits me it should sound softer and muted. Try again. He said encouragingly.
I am not sure. He Replied. I believe it took the Warrior a month or so but I cannot remember. I do know he did not practice as regularly as he should have.
Genor hummed again, but this time managed to understand what he was saying about the sound being more mute. “It feels like- there!” He said, pointing around a foot off the bat.(edited)
Genor nodded, but didn’t see how this would be helpful. “But- I can only sense this stuff from an inch away. How would this possible help in a cave or during a fight or- in general?”(edited)
Your hearing will improve. When humans lose one of their senses the others grow stronger. You must first train your ears to pick up the slack. You will be able to ‘see’ detailed forms eventually. He Replied, trying to be positive.
Kalix furrowed his eyebrows. I will return shortly. He turned and left the room. About 30 minutes later her returned. Genor, It is Kalix. I have brought help. He looked at Gregor as if to say ‘introduce yourself.’(edited)
Gregor looked to the boy and immediately noticed his eyes missing. He hadn't actually had the chance to visit Genor yet. He had a lot of business to attend to being the Warrior. * "Hey Genor. I'm Gregor." *He said. "Or better known as 'The Warrior'"
Shall we resume? Kalix asked, flipping the light off with his claw. I’ve turned the light off so now we all must use echolocation. He explained to Genor.
Sky came into Genors room. He felt bad that he hadn't been in there for a bit, he had a lot of work to do. He smiled seeing Genor there. Sky sat down in the chair next to him.
(Nah, yours are way better)
Sky smiles. "Anywhere? That sounds like a fun place. Maybe you should tell me about it on the way there?" He joked with his shit sense of humor
Genor began wheeling forward. “We have a thirty second window as of right now before the doctors notice I’m gone; they just are switching shifts.” He said hurriedly.
Genor shrugged. “It would be a surprise what you can do if you have nothing to do. Seriously. I do not think you understand how many games require eyesight.”
As he clicked his tongue a few times, he slowed down. “We’re safe now. They have either assumed that I have gone to the bathroom or that Coilthroat just kidnapped me.”
“Because they are sending search parties for us in around ten minutes. Which is a lot of time, not to mention that they would be looking outside the palace, not inside. We should be good.” Genor said nonchalantly, not worried at all.(edited)
"To be honest, it hasn't been great. While you were gone we lost a major battle. Then Nexo came with two prowlers, and agreed to make a deal. I dont know what ever happened with that."
Genor laughed dryly. “I remember, the day that she threw me in the jungle, she had to go to a meeting of some sorts. She sounded very confident, like she thought that we were going to agree.”(edited)
Genor shrugged. “I said that he looked hot, then he thought he was on fire. Then I told him that I thought he looked handsome, then he said I look handsome. Then I asked if he wanted to have sex and he said sure.”(edited)
(WaIt A mInUtE
Lol I thought it was like a day ago oof)
He thought back to the first day. Man, it felt like an eternity ago. "It was not great. Most of it consisted of me trying to get cell service and wandering around in the dark."
“That sucks. Here I am, talking about how I had sex while you were trying to simply not die.” Genor shrugged. “But seriously, I’m still surprised that you’re a virgin still.”
“You want to change your status?” He asked, preparing to say it with a wink but then realized that his eyes where gone, so now it just sounded weird.(edited)
Genor slightly chuckled. “That was un expected. And it’s a good thing that we have more than 10 minutes now. Follow me.” He said, as he wheeled his way back to his old room.(edited)
The Doctor came by. “Genor, what are you doing?! We were about to start the oper-“ He paused as he looked at the naked Genor with a raised eyebrow. “I’m coming in an hour, give me some time.” He said, shooting him.
He nodded. “And complete replacement of my right ribs.” He said, gesturing to the bloody and bruised wound, with around a 6 inch diameter. “It’s to far gone to be considered broken. It’s practically shatter glass.” He said grimly.
(cut off her arms and throw her into the waterway so that she is always so close to getting free but she never can and she lives through the pain and its so hard for her to survive but she doesnt have enough willpower to just stop trying and her legs hurt like hell and she eventually dies of thirst)
After a minute, he broke apart from the kiss. “See you tomorrow.” He whispered to him as he was whisked away by the furious doctors to his hospital bed.
Genor lay groggily on his bed, his entire body aching. As he peeked his head up to to get up, he noticed that his arms were strapped down to the bed as were his feet, preventing any escape. He groaned as he lay his head down, tried.(edited)
“Howard?” He said. He was getting better with voices. “I feel amazing. My ribs don’t hurt anymore and my feet feel healed. And did they put in my pupil-less glass eyes yet?” He asked, unsure.
Genor shrugged. “Nothing much. Life’s pretty boring when you can’t do anything.” He said, still thinking about how he had sex with Sky a few days ago. “Pretty boring.”(edited)
“Broke my foot? Had my rib replaced? After I was tortured and improvement for a week then left out in the jungle to die? Or.” He said as he finally pulled out his straps, freeing his hand from the bed. “Becoming blind?”
Genor struggled to lift his hand completely up. After a good minute of trying, he let it sink back to the bed in defeat. “Perhaps I should stay in bed.”
Demeter had hardly left her room in a week. But she decided that it would do her well to try her wings a little. She didn’t yet want to fly, but she did flutter around the halls, occasionally lifting herself into the air. She eventually passed by the room Genor was in, the door wide open. She paused, staring, mind barely comprehending the sight. “Genor?”
Genor winced. He didn’t like thinking about what happened. “She... took out my eyes. Then had a good fun 4 or 5 days torturing me. After that, she had some Prowlers leave me in the Jungle. Then... Coilthroat saved me.” He said.
Genor hugged her back, then winced. “Demeter...” He said, pointing to the place where her paw rested on his bloody and broken spot on his stomach.(edited)
Demeter paused, looking between both of them. "Why would either of you go through with this plan? Why, Genor, would you want us to believe you a traitor?"(edited)
“I forced him to tell everyone... because I hope that you would all feel anger. Not grief. But I think it had the opposite effect of what I was hoping for.” He said quietly.
"Oh my goodness, Genor, please stop begging for people to hurt you! You treat yourself like a scrap of garbage. You wanted everyone to remember you with hatred! This needs to end, Genor. You'll just wind up hurting everyone else."
Genor began coughing as he doubled over. He tilted his head to a Doctor that was injecting him with a serum to make him rest. “You son of a-“ He passed out.(edited)
"Jexus, you know how insecure Genor is. Do you have any idea how terrible you made everyone feel? I know you were told what to do. But you still had a choice."
Jexus head sank even lower. He was too tired to do this. Too tired after taking care of Demeter. Too tired after all the war meetings and plans and councils he had attended. Too tired after all the grief he had suffered that no one had bothered to ask how he was feeling. Too tired to fight that one person he knew he couldn’t lose. “You are right. I was wrong.”
(Demeter has been relaxing in her room whilst Jexus as been not sleeping, attending countless war meetings, looking after Demeter, Genor, Onora and literally everyone else and is also dealing with the grief for his child)
('relaxing')
(miscarriages mess a woman up bro)
(it's not supposed to be some sort of contest over whose life is worse, i think their lives all suck)
(when u compare loss like a game everyone's the loser smh)
(I ain't about to argue over who had it worse because they both had bad stuff happen, i just don't like having demeter do stuff like this because it's super out of character you know?)
(Like she can talk about how she's sorry he's had to work so hard but demeter being so mean is just kinda weird)
She fluttered over, slow with her still healing wing. “I wanted to say I’m sorry.” She drew in a breath. “I don’t think what you did was right. But it was what he asked. It was such a tough call, which you should not have had to deal with alone. I should not have grown angry and made it about myself.”
Jexus looked up, into her eyes. “Thank you.” He replied. “This last week has been... difficult, and hard to face by myself. I am sorry too.” He managed a weak smile.
Luxa sighed, then began. “As all of you know, our and the Prowler army are equally matched. We will need more manpower to beat them. And after our rejection of their treaty, we have little time. As much as I hate to admit it, the gnawers are our only option.”
Luxa nodded. “I will send a large group, in order to make sure you can defend yourselves if you meet resistance, but the bigger problem will be rallying the rats together.”
Luxa glanced towards him, then nodded. “I have decided on these for the group; Jexus, Onora, Howard, Nike, Michael, Shredder, Smokeswirl, Edwynn, Cass, Helen and Sky. Demeter may accompany Michael, of course, or Michael may decide to stay here, but I will not force you, Demeter, to go on this. Oh, and Kalix now aswell.”(edited)
Luxa turned to Jexus. “Jexus, I place you in command on this mission. Keep them in line, but listen to them. They’re not all idiots.” He nodded curtly.
Kalix spoke up for Genor. “With all due respect, your majesty, he has made good progress in his echolocation lessons. I will take responsibility for him.” Kalix offered.
Demeter frowned. She knew she wouldn't be able to make the trip, but she hated to be left behind.Helen kept a straight face, but secretly was filled with excitement to be on a real military job.
Onora retreated to her room within the fount. Her leg caused her to limp on the way up, but she still made it. Onora pulled the keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door. She pushed it open then closed it.
Genor frowned as he went into his room, and Shredder paused to hearing plenty of yelling and shouting in his room. She turned around, walking out of the hospital wing. "How long do you think this will take?" Shredder asked Smokeswirl.
Jexus shook his head. “She placed me as leader. How could I not go? And besides, at leas doing this will keep me from having to attend war meetings.” He grinned weakly.
18:30
Howard nodded and approached Onora from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Everything will be fine.”
Demeter frowned. "I guess. Just promise you'll be back soon, alright?"
Smokeswirl looked at Shredder, pondering. "I'm not sure. Depends on how much the gnawers hate the Prowlers."
Onora leaned against his warm chest, placing her hands on his. She looked into the mirror, the two of them stood there in embrace for a little while before she spoke. “I hope...”
Howard shrugged and laid his sword and jacket on the bed. “If you dwell on what could go wrong, you never see all the things that don’t go wrong.” He countered. “We will all be fine.”
She gave a soft laugh, before opening a latch that was on the nightstand next to her bed. She pulled out a necklace and held it in her hands. “You know when you say that stuff it makes you even dorkier.”
Howard frowned. “I don’t know what that means, but it’s probably better than being pessimistic?” He stretched and walked to the bathroom. “I’m taking a shower, come join me.” He smiled.(edited)
“Trust me, it is.” Onora placed the silver necklace down on the nightstand. “It has to be quick though. I still have to get things ready.” Onora told him sternly. She then smiled, following him in.
Cass fluttered down to their designated meeting spot. Edwynn slipped off her and checked the pack around Cass’ neck and shoulders. She adjusted her armor and waited for everyone else.
Jexus smiled slightly at Kalix. Although he would never admit it, Jexus liked the other bat’s personality and sense of humour, and the two had become friends. “You too.”
Genor waved to Sky as Shredder and Smokeswirl arrived. He was getting much better at sensing footing patterns and noises that connected people: Jexus frequently fluttered his wings, Sky often loading a gun or something of sorts, Smokeswirls footing touching the ground much less then normal to stay on balance.(edited)
Helen grinned. They seemed very nice, so she tried very hard to remember their names. She was absolutely horrible with names. "I guess you all already know each other, then?"
Jexus nodded. “We were on another quest together. But don’t worry, I’m sure we will all get to know you soon.” He caught sight of Demeter. “Ah, excuse me one moment.” He said, wandering over. “Hey.”
Genor stumbled his way over to the closest person to him willing happened to be Sky. “Hey, do you mind getting my pack? I dropped it and my echo location skills aren’t the best yet, so I can’t find it.” He asked sheepishly.
He smiled as Sky handed him the pack. “Do you think it was a bad idea to come on this trip? I mean it should be very short, a simple yes or no, but still...” He said nervously.
“We’re heading deep into gnawer territory, and most creatures we meet aren’t going to be friendly. Be alert, move quick, and have each other’s backs. Except Genor. I’m sure he’ll be fine defending himself.”
Genor pouted. “F*ck you.” He said. He picked out a dagger and threw above Jexus’ head, luckily getting extremely precise and barley missing him f-cking showoff.(edited)
Onora rolled her eyes at her bond, turning sharply towards the cliff some number of feet from them. “Genor be quiet. Someone help him out of his wheel chair and up onto one of the fliers.” Onora said before getting onto Jexus.
Genor muttered something. “Just came here for my dagger.” He lied.
20:03
He pulled his dagger out of the ground and walked over to who was actually Kalix. He heard Helen snort in the distant, his hearing improving. “You can laugh you know.”
He nodded, flipping on sunglasses. He realized that looking at pupiless glass eyes may look weird to people, so he decided to cover it with glasses. “Yep.”(edited)
Genor fell on the ground again gasping. He slowly pulled out a vial, his face sweaty and red. As soon as he chugged it, his sweat cleared and his face returned to normal color. “Thanks Howard.” He croaked, chucking the empty glass vial at the wall.
“Genor I think you need a stick to help you.” Onora told him. She slid off of Jexus and hit the ground with a thud. The prosthetic was holding up well.
He shook his head, gaining his strength back. “I’m just weak. The doctors gave me a vial. It’s highly experimental with... side effects. But it works. Well.”
He nodded. “The side effects are eye bluring, temporarily being blind, or permanently blindness.” He said, laughing. “None of which I give a f*ck about.”
He shook his head. “I’ll take guard. The vial won’t let me sleep. Besides..” He said. “I’ve been having nightmares since I got back. And the easiest way to avoid them is to not sleep.”
Jexus glanced around at the group, making sure everyone was resting, before sighing and making his way over to Onora. He lay down next to her, curling up into a ball.
“Fine.” He said, mad. “Keep it bottled up, until you can’t sleep because of nightmares, the ghosts of people you’ve killed haunt you!” He said, turning around.
Genor stayed silent, a few tears stinging his eyes. He walked outside of the group, going away from everyone by a good hundred or so feet yard away, to dark to see him cry.
(Basically it had to be him because I know the plot of what’s going to happen, but I needed someone in gnawer territory and it’s easier to use my character than guide someone else)
Onora slept through the ride. She twisted and turned, and her breathing was uneasy. She jolted awake with a nightmare, sweat dripping down her forehead.
Onora glanced at Luxa, but brought her gaze back to the ground. She gripped Jexus, her muscles tightening with fear. “The gnawers, they wanted a hostage. S-So...”
Jexus sighed and took over the story. “They promised us troops if we have them a hostage to make sure we would give them land after the war. They took Howard and didn’t give us anything in return.”
Luxa groaned and out her head in her hands. “At least he will be treated well. But now we have no one to fight the Prowlers with.”
Luxa sighed. “From what we can tell, they plan to attack in a few days. We can try and defend the city as much as we can, but it is unlikely we can keep them out.”
19:42
Jexus nodded curtly. “How many soldiers do we have?”
“Less than two thousand.” Luxa admitted, clenching her fist.
19:42
“Our allies have sent next to no help.”
19:44
Luxa glanced up at Nike for a moment, but said nothing.
Luxa eventually sighed. “Well, that is for me to worry about. Go clean yourselves up, I am sure you had a long trip. I will give war commands out later.”
Onora rubbed her forearm and gnawed on her lip. There was a slight limp in her walk, but that was just because of the prosthetic. She didn’t dare to make eye contact with anyone. So instead her violet eyes watched the floor.
“I’m not putting it off this time...” She responded softly. Everything was so fcked up right now, where would she begin? Tears threatened to leave her eyes, so she let them out. Onora put her face in her hands and sobbed.* “Everything, Just everything! Demeter loosing her baby, Genor going blind, Howard being gone! It’s, it’s just so...hard!”
Edwynn walked over to Onora not really sure of what’s happening in the plot but saw a good place to jump in and put a hand on her shoulder in sympathy.
“I know, h-he’s only been gone for a week, but—it’s so hard! Sleeping on my own, having reoccurring nightmares, and everything else on top of that!” She continued to weep.
She nodded. Onora began to walk back to their room. They descended down a flight of stairs, then turned into a hallway. She pulled out the keys from her pocket and pushed the door open.
They prepared for war. Gathering the materials they needed, and began packing medical supplies. Onora stood blind during all of this, not sure of what to do.
Jexus sighed and eventually started giving her small jobs, like carrying armour and setting up medkits, whilst he rushed to and fro barking orders and commands at soldiers.
He shrugged. "I have no clue. They won't even let me into any meetings, as I assume that they assume that I lost my brains with my eyes." He said grimly. "So I suppose doing what I usually do, swinging my daggers wildly and hoping I don't die."
Jexus shook his head. "Under no circumstances are you actually fighting. You get to stay here, nice and safe. Until the walls fall and we all die, that is."
He shook his head. "I will fight, like it or not." He argued. "I'm not going to stay strapped onto my bed, waiting for my inevitable death. If I am dying, I'm going down fighting."
I can't even echolocate, so there's not much to improve at "So? I fight in caves half the time, in which I have to rely on my rager senses!" He lied. "I can do it!"
"You said it yourself, at the gnawers, you can't rage without your eyes. Genor, I know how difficult it must be to sit back and let your friends fight for you, but you must do so."
"No, I said I haven't tried raging without my eyes yet!" He lied again. He tried raging hundreds of times, but gave up hope, convinced that raging was somehow correlated with eyes.
"Genor, fighting in the war will endanger you and your friends. They will be distracted, split between fighting and making sure you are safe. And what if you die? You can't put that weight on them. You know it is a real possibility."
Jexus shook his head. "It is not like Demeter. They will definitely be looking out for any sign, and kill him if they see anything. As of right now, he is probably the safest out of any of us."
Jexus bit his lip. "Not high. We have thought about evacuating residents, but we have nowhere to put them, and need to focus our efforts on war preperation."
He mentally slapped himself, of course the bats here never went to the overland! He decided to ask a rather weird question. "If a person is dead... do you still get heat signatures from there body?" He asked.
He furrowed his eyebrows, unaware of the weird look he was getting from Jexus. "How do you even get by in battlefields? With so many people clashing with each other, I'm sure it looks like one huddle of heat, not individual characters."
Jexus laughed slightly. "I wish. It's just... before I met all of you, I was just a soldier. Now I'm giving commands, taking lead, everything."(edited)
"It does no good to anyone if you are tired and stressed all the time. My advice, rest in your room for a single day. You haven't the chance to do so since before the war in all honesty."(edited)
He hesitated. He wanted to sneak out of the palace, where no one could see or worry about him. He nodded. "Want to go to the training arena? Regardless of me fighting, I want to learn to fight in the future."
Luxa and the group stood atop the battlements. The Prowler army was clearly visible in the distance, throwing up dust and dirt. Luxa stood just in front of Jexus, clenching her jaw.
19:58
“Are the troops prepared?” She asked without turning around. Jexus nodded. “Ready to march on your command.”
Onora stood still next to Jexus, her hands gripping the daggers that were hanging next to her hips. This was going to be bloody, very bloody. Onora was sure to send every Prowler she killed to hell.
Luxa glanced at them. “We need all available soldiers to fight. Go with the rest of the bonds.” She sighed, and turned to Jexus. “There is no point waiting. Give the order.” Jexus nodded and turned to an Underlander, who started to blow a horn. The sound echoed loudly around the cave, and was joined by two more.
Jexus nodded and launched off, eventually finding his way to the front of the marching foot soldiers. He led them along, flying close to the ground, until the two armies met.
“Yes.” She said. Onora jumped off of Jexus, and cling to his claws until she was close enough to the ground to drop and roll. With a slash she cunt through the Prowlers neck, leaving it to drown in its own blood.
Jexus glanced around, digging his claws and teeth into some nearby Prowlers, then noticed Nexo stalking through the battlefield. “There!” He called to Onora, gesturing.(edited)
Demeter soared high above the Prowlers, taking her usual job of scooping people out of danger. She was not as quick on her still healing wing, so she didn't take many huge risks, but at least she was helping.
Onora grinned. She threw the dagger at Nexo, aiming at her eye. Onora ran towards her, kicking her stomach into once her dagger failed to snag her eye.
Edwynn and Cass threw themselves into the fray, killing many prowlers.Back in the hospital wing Kalix hurried down to Genor’s room. He busted in and smirked at him. “You ready or what?”
Nexo whirled round, narrowly avoiding Onora’s kick. She stepped back, brandishing her spear. “Do I know you?” She asked sarcastically, tilting her head.(edited)
Sky saw the sole human enemy. He scoped in but with Onora attacking her he didnt have a clear shot. Instead he cleared the area of Prowlers so they wouldn't be attacked out of the blue.
Smokeswirl jumped onto the back of a Prowler, biting viciously into the back of its neck and holding until it fell to the ground. She glanced at Shredder.
Shredder glanced back at Smokeswirl and nodded. "Thanks." She said, knowing that the prowler would have killed her. She repayed the favor by jumping onto one behind her.
Smokeswirl flashed a smile before leaping back into battle. She kept near Shredder. Prowlers were similar to Gnawers, but larger, so she figured two Gnawers were better than one.
Genor shook his head. "Just save anyone." He said. "And drop me off somewhere eventually. I am better on ground that on the air." He said, knowing that this may very well be the death of him.
She gasped at the sudden loss of air. Onora managed to grab the end of her spear and swung her around. She ducked beneath the spear when she released it from her grasp.
"Uh oh." Helen mumbled as she swung her sword around. She had gotten so wrapped up in the battle that she hadn't noticed she had strayed into a part of the battlefield with far more Prowlers than people. She was being swarmed. Her sword collided with flesh and fur, blood flying wildly in her face, but they were strong, and several were landing cuts all over her body.
“Very well.” Kalix landed and let Genor off. He launched back in the air only to see Helen being surrounded. He plucked her up. “Care to fly?” He asked(edited)
“Damn!” She wheezed. Onora fell back onto the ground. Thankfully, she didn’t let go of her other dagger. She yanked it out of her pocket and held it out in front of her.
Sky was running in the field taking shot after shot and watching Prowlers drop when his bead was on them. He eventually got close to the rest of the Humans.
Cass and Edwynn were irritating a particularly fat prowler, nicking it with her sword countless times. “Let’s finish him off.” She said to Cass. The pair rolled and Edwynn took off its head.
Nexo screeched, but slammed the hilt of her sword into Onora’s face, before pulling her head down onto her knee with a sickening crunch. She laughed and pushed the teenager away, blood pouring down Onora’s face. Nexo pulled the dagger out of her shoulder and threw it into the other fighters.
Ten or so minutes after the Jexus encounter, he had killed 5 or so Prowlers. However, one hit him into the wall, slamming into it hard. He groaned as she approached him.
Jexus flew back up to observe that battle. It was obvious the humans were losing. They had much less soldiers, and were slowly being pushed back towards the Fount. At this rate, they would last barely an hour.
He sighed and darted back down, picking up a large Prowler snarling at some Underlanders. With a grunt he twisted his body round and threw it towards Cass. “Heads up!”
20:30
Nexo laughed again and stalked round Onora, twirling her sword around. “On second thoughts, I do remember you.”
Edwynn saw the prowler hurling toward them and leaped in the air off Cass. The prowler flew under her and she cut a deep gash from its stomach to its neck. She landed back on Cass and they rolled.
Genor slowly felt a buzzing as she picked him up. "I know you..." She said slowly. "You're the rager boy!" She said as she picked him up and threw him into the wall again. "It's going to be fun killing you." She sneered.
"If you're alright with it, I can fight from the air. One of my legs is cut, but my arms work fine." Helen said, beckoning to one of her legs. There was a deep cut on the calf. She'd be fine, but it'd hurt like hell to walk.
The ground shook as thousands upon thousands of gnawers appeared through a wide tunnel. They approached with growls and snarls, aiming at the Prowlers. Bloodshed stood on a high rock, where everyone could see her. She snarled. “NOW!”
The gnawers began to attack. Ripping out the Prowlers throats, slashing their sides, and tore them apart. Bloodshed kicked away a Prowler and launched herself at him. Her blood colored fur was noticeable in the crowd.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Onora knew this was the end. Goodbye... She waited for the quick ending. The battle cries in the background made her stay silent and turn into a ball.
Helen gasped as the Gnawers ran in. She had mistaken them for Prowlers, but soon felt a rush of confidence when she saw them begin to rip into the weasel army. She leaned over, dragging her sword through the crows and cutting through Prowlers. She'd never fought on a flier before, but it was surprisingly easy to catch on to.
Kalix dove in over and over. Each time Helen would slice a Prowler and he would pick one up and drop it from the top of the cavern as he’d seen Jexus do.(edited)
Nexo swung her sword down hard, but it was stopped by another sword, jutting out from her right. Nexo snarled and whirled around as Howard slid his sword away from hers and knocked it against the hilt, forcing her to drop it. “Sup.”
Nike prayed that the Gnawers would force the Prowlers numbers down. She went in and scooped up a Prowler, biting into its neck and dropping its limp body on another.
The Prowler smashed his head into the wall as Genor secretly pulled out his dagger from behind his back, feeling a sensation he hadn't felt in months.(edited)
Genor grinned as he pushed the dagger into the side of her chest, enjoying the scream of pain from his attacker. His body was buzzing fiercely now.(edited)
Jexus couldn’t help but grin as he saw the battle instantly flip towards the humans side. He smiled as he noticed Howard attack Nexo, and began to battle the Prowlers with more vigour, using his claws and teeth to cut them to pieces.
Nexo grimaced and suddenly ducked down, sliding under Howard’s arm and wrenching her spear up off the ground. “You may find it a little difficult, I assure you.”(edited)
Genor felt amazing, energy coursing through his body. He flipped his dagger in his hand. He saw an outline in her body, red inside it. He noticed how the red light inside her was slowly dimming... He had done it. He had learned echolocation. He smiled he walked away, fully ready to fight in the battle. Everything was a 3d simulation as of right now to him, making it near impossible to sneak up on him.
Onora stood up, wiping her face. She didn’t have anything but her hands now. She winced in pain. Onora suddenly lunged towards Howard, hoping he would throw her at Nexo.
Nexo turned and smashed the blunt end of the spear into Onora’s face on more time to make sure she stayed down, then morphed into a fighting stance as she stared at Howard.
He slashed and cut at an oncoming prowler, his blindness now fully visible to everyone that his glasses had fallen off. He saw multiple figures come to him, but he was ready for them. He was excited for this fight.
Howard held his sword out in front him and suddenly lunged at Nexo, swinging it towards her neck. She easily ducked and jerked her spear towards his leg, and he yelped as it dug into his flesh.
Sky yelped as a prowler leaped on him. He felt extreme pain and found breathing difficult. He collapsed to the ground as he couldn't breathe very well. He fired off a few shots at the prowler who attacked him and some others near by, and everything went dark.
Nexo bit her lip as she fought Howard. Her shoulder was bleeding heavily. Eventually she turned and jumped onto the nearest Prowler, flying away into the crowd.
20:55
Howard sighed and sheathed his sword, before turning towards Onora. “Hey.” He whispered weakly, approaching her.
Bloodshed flung herself at a Prowler, killing it with a clean slice. She glanced at the human. While she was distracted, a Prowler slashed her across the side. She cried out in pain.
He noticed smaller figures, which he assumed to be Smokeswirl and Shredder, before noticing that there were hundreds. The gnawers had come! He thought excitdely as he slashed an oncoming Prowler in the throat, hearing it fall down the the ground. He tilted his head curiously at the lifeless figure. He probably looked like a psychopath to the outside eye. And he was, he thought as he lunged himself at two other prowlers.
Demeter soared above the battle, eye catching Nexo. The moment the woman came into view, fiery hatred flooded through her. Unthinking, she flared out her wings and dove. She latched onto her shoulders, digging her claws deep, and shot back up into the air with Nexo in tow. She flung the woman into the air, shooting up after her, catching her as she pushed her high up, pinning her against the roof of the cave. Her teeth glinted, eyes shining with rage.
Nexo’s eyes widened in shock as she was lifted hundreds of metres above the ground. She regained her composure, and tilted her head at Demeter. “Now you I do remember. How’s the baby?”
Howard eventually broke away from their hug, before leaning down at her bloody face. “That looks bad.” He murmured, lightly brushing his fingers against the ridge of her nose. “Clear some of the blood away.” He continued, tearing off a piece of his shirt.
21:01
Nexo shrugged. “Probably not. So what does that mean? Is it time for you to start hurting me?”
Genor slashed out there throats and left them on the ground. He threw a dagger at a Prowler fighting a human, and threw himself at it, taking out another dagger and sticking it in his eye. He knew from first account how much that hurt. He saw it collapse to the ground, writing in pain. He made another slash on it's stomach, watching the heat signatures pouring out of the body. He pulled out his bloody daggers and ran back into the battle.
Demeter bared her teeth, ready to snap down on Nexo's throat. This was what she wanted. What she needed. This was what the world owed to her. She knew Nexo was lying, yet she hesitated. "I kept myself alive by keeping us talking. So I will grant you the same."
Nexo laughed slightly, before coughing. “I know what it’s like. To have something you love more than anything, yet it is then ripped from you by something out of your control.”
Demeter clenched her jaw, gripping Nexo tighter. This was her goal. It was all that had kept her going. Imagining the moment she would take Nexo's life. And yet, she hesitated. Her throat quivered. Narrowing her eyes, she opened her mouth and shot her snout forward to receive her neck.But she never bit down.
"I am not like you. This is not Demeter." She said hoarsely.
Genor killed another group of prowlers encircling a person, right before being violently thrown into the wall again by a group of Prowlers. He felt their claws vicously ripping into him.
Demeter let go, both of them free falling for a few seconds before Demeter flipped upright and grabbed Nexo again by the shoulders. She lugged her across the field, slamming her to the ground before Onora. "But she is not like either of us. So pray upon her mercy."
He easily slashed through the savage Prowlers. He lifted himself up slowly, clicking his tongue. He felt a body around 10 feet away from him, with many prowler figures surrounding the body. The heat signature in it was extremely dim. He almost considered going away and helping people that actually may stand a chance, before noticing that there was a large, thin barrel next to him. He hesitated, knowing that was a gun. Meaning.... "Sky!" He helled hoarsely, lunging himself at the circling prowlers.(edited)
21:20
He savagely murdered each one in cold blood in a matter of seconds. He was enraged, bending down to the extremely weakened Sky. "Sky..." He said, his voice raspy. "Say something." He said quietly.
Genor called to Sky hopelessly as he felt doctors push him away, picking up the almost-lifeless Sky. He stood there, in shock. He should have stayed next to Sky... He thought grimly. He picked up the dagger that he pushed into the ground in anger, feeling more enraged then he had ever felt in his entire life, running straight into a group with fifty or so Prowlers encircling a group of defenseless Gnawers.(edited)
Nexo screeched as the steel bit into her flesh, but stayed upright. She tried the same move on Onora, but Nexo’s sword just collided with her prosthetic. Nexo jumped back with a hiss, holding her sword diagonally in front of her.
Onora grinned and lunged at Nexo, swinging her arm around before striking her right forearm. She slid the sword cleanly out of the damaged flesh. She positioned her square vertically in front of her, and gave her a satisfied grin. “Now who said I couldn’t kill you?”(edited)
Nexo grunted and whirled around, intending to run, but was met with Howard’s sword at her throat. She slowly turned back around and stared directly into Onora’s eyes. She nodded slightly.
Onora took a deep breath. After all the things Nexo did, she deserved to die. Demeter’s baby was gone because of her! Genor has no eyes because of her! Her face fell. She inhaled as she held the sword by her side. “You know you are to die. For what you have done.”
This scared her more. What could Nexo do to hurt her more. She grunted, kicking her in the stomach with her prosthetic. She snarled, raising the tip of the blade to her throat. “I’m sorry...” She screwed her violet eyes shut. Onora drove her hand forward, causing the blade to pierce Nexo’s throat. She heard her limp body fall to the ground. The girl stood their, her face cold.
Howard enclosed her with his arms, holding her against his body, when Jexus suddenly landed in front of them, then started as he saw the corpse lying in the ground. “Is she... did you...?” He could barely make the words out.
21:47
Howard nodded at him, clutching Onora tighter.(edited)
She couldn’t do anything, she was at a loss for words and didn’t want to move. Onora knew what she did. Did that mean the war was over now? She had yet to know.
Howard gently pulled Onora way from him. He quickly embraced Nike, silently promising to speak more later, then turned back to to Onora. “Onora, you are hurt. You need to go to the hospital.” He told her gently.
Jexus approached her, and bent down. Howard somehow managed to manoeuvre the unwilling Onora into his back, then climbed on after her. “Follow us back. I just need to make sure she is alright.” He whispered to Nike. Jexus launched off towards the Fount, Nike following close behind. No one looked back at Nexo’s body. She was just another corpse in the battlefield, someone to be forgotten.(edited)
Nike lifted off into the air after them. Following close behind.They arrived a little bit later, Nike went in to land when Jexus and the others were already on the ground. She followed Howard.
Howard guided the silent Onora through the hospital, ignoring the screams and blood surrounding them. She was pressing her face tightly against his shoulder. Eventually he found a mostly empty room and laid her on a bed.
“Please—don’t go.” She hoarsely said. Onora reached out for him, but the pain just hit her. She groaned and laid back against the bed, clutching the sheets.
“I’m not.” Howard replied. “I’m just going to grab a medkit, then I’ll fix your wounds.” Howard found some medical supplies, and started to tend to Onora. He left her face until last, cleaning the small cuts and gashes on her limbs and stomach. Eventually he turned to her face and started to gently wash away the blood.
The smell of rubbing alcohol stung her nostrils. She smiled weakly at Howard, her violet eyes softly closed. “I missed you.” Onora told him softly.(edited)
She nodded. Onora took the vial from his hands and obediently poured it down her throat. The painkiller made her more tired than she already was. “I love you..” She murmured.
Howard sighed and began to stitch up Onora’s face. After around an hour, he leant back in his chair and stood up from the bed. Glancing around, he noticed Nike and Jexus were still in the room. He nodded weakly at them. “She will be okay, other than a few scars.”
Jexus exhaled shakily, and nodded. “Howard... thank you. It is good to have you back.” Howard smiled slightly, then grinned widely as Nike enveloped him with her wings. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s good to see you again.”(edited)
“Sky, that moment where I thought you dead, it was real.” He said. “I think... now that the wars over... I think I’m going to go back to the Overland.” He said slowly.
He paused for a minute. Why wouldnt he? Sky loved Genor.. and he didnt have anything down here, so that would be a definite yes. But then why did he feel attached to this place? No. He wasn't gonna stay. "I'd love to come with you Genor."
Why can’t I be let out tomorrow? Onora thought with a groan. She nodded. “Was Kling the one behind this though? Did she really encourage this?” Onora questioned.
He nodded as doctors bursted into Sky’s room, quite furious at Genor for fighting in the war. He suffered multiple concussions and possibly some fractured bones. He allowed himself to be pulled away by them, giving Sky one last smiled before they carried him back to his room.(edited)
Howard walked in. He was much cleaner than when Onora had last seen him; he was clean-shaven, his hair had been cut back to its usual style and he was wearing fresh clothes. She could instantly see how much thinner he had gotten though, and his old clothes looked baggy and large on him. He smiled slightly. “Good to see you awake.”(edited)
Howard looked down with a frown. “Mhm? Oh... well, yes... but it wasn’t exactly nutritious or even... edible. Don’t worry though, I’ve eaten like a thousand things already today.” He said, smiling weakly.
Howard exhaled with a small grin and leaned into Onora’s arms, hugging her tightly. He snorted when he saw Jexus pouting in the corner. “Get in here.” He told the bat, and Jexus wrapped them both in his wings.
Onora giggled. She planted kisses on the two of them. With a sigh she laid back on her bed. Her violet eyes drooped. Hopefully the nightmares would go away now...
Demeter, haggard and exhausted, soared through the gate to the fount on tired wings. She, being uninjured, had been working and transporting injured soldiers off of the battlefield. After a few hours, she no longer sensed any movement in the droves of piled bodies. She landed heavily on the ground, dragging herself along. she was not injured physically, but the day had taken its toll.
Demeter made her way to her and Jexus' room slowly, and eventually made her way inside. She didn't say anything, just looked at Jexus, unable to form anything.
“That is good.” Jexus replied quietly. “And even if you had killed her, that would also have been good. Because it was your choice, and you did what was important to you.”
23:06
Howard nodded, then grinned. “Well, if you’re not sleeping, there’s not much point in you laying in bed. Do you want to go somewhere?”
Nike searched for Howard through the halls of the fount. She frowned. Where could he be? Nike knew where. She rushed to the hospital and found Onora’s room. With a grin she snatched him out. She called back. “He will be back soon!”(edited)
Nike shook her head, making her ears flop back and fourth. “Hello Howard. I wanted to know if you would like to go flying.” Nike shifted her position. But stood awkwardly.
“Anywhere.” Nike replied. She lifted herself up into the air, her wings moving rapidly. Her wings extended to their full length, they soared above the fount.
Howard was quiet for a moment. "Not much." He eventually said. "There wasn't really anything to do. I barely even ate anything." He continued, gesturing at his emaciated body. "Eventually I convinced Bloodshed to overthrow Earthspike, and well... you know what happens from there."
“You did? I thought all of the gnawers were loyal to that gnawer.” Nike asked. She was surprised. Nike knee Howard wouldn’t be stuck there, but have such a big impact on the war and the gnawers. She didn’t know about that.
Howard rolled over and looked down at the arena. It had been turned into a makeshift hospital and housing for the injured, and soldiers and medics rushed about.
Nike noticed the sudden change in weight, she frantically chased him through the air. She dove underneath of him and caught him. He landed flat on her back.
Nike just rolled her eyes. She dove down towards the ground. Nike shifted her wings so they would get lower each time. Nike landed on the ground softly, lowering her back so Howard could easily slide off.(edited)
Nike nodded. She looked at all of the injured soliders. Nike winced. “Ok. You might as well check in with her then.” She pointed to the female doctor who looked as if she were in charge.
The doctor sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry Howard, but being related to the Queen doesn't make you qualified to heal people. You'll probably be a hindrance, not a help."
The doctor scoffed and glanced at Howard's body. "You? I don't think so." She offered a hand, smiling slightly. "I'm Dawn." Howard didn't take it, and glared at her. "Sorry, I'm taken."
Dawn rolled her eyes again. "Sure. Whatever. Go on then, I have other problems."
10:26
Howard breathed heavily, but turned and stalked off. Being judged by the leader was better than not being able to do anything. He grabbed a couple medical supplies and started to tend to the most serious injuries.
Sky had been awake for a few hours, but he got bored very quickly. He knew that many people tend to sneak out of their rooms, so why not him? He decided to check on his friends and crawled out of bed to go to whoever's room he could find.
Genor lye in his room, not bored at all. He was experimenting with an array of sounds and clicks to echolocate new objects. It drove the doctors insane, but he didn’t care.(edited)
(Where'd Attie go?)
He managed to eventually find Genors room and walked in after checking for doctors. "I see why you sneak out so much. This is fun!"
Genor smiled as he sat up. “It gets even more fun when they realize your missing and you run around the palace, blind, but know it to well and they can’t find you and they eventually give up and return to realize that you decided to head back to your room hours ago.” He said with a smile. “How are you?”
Genir noticed his masculine body, and his big he looked compared to Sky. He was noticing that bats consisted of more heat than humans too. “I learned Echolocation!” He said proudly.
Onora lifted herself from the bed with a grunt. She held onto the side of the bed. Onora limped towards the door. She pushed it open and her violet eyes scanned the halls. She made her way down the hall.
She found a balcony overlooking the courtyard of the hospital. Onora sighed and walked out onto it. She gripped the railing and watched the people pass by.
Howard quietly walked up behind her, then wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hey. What are you doing up?" He asked with amusement, pressing his chest against her back.(edited)
“Yeah.” Onora nodded. She watched the injured soldiers being carried in on stretchers. “We should probably go now,” She croaked. “I’m just taking up space.*
Onora sighed and walked into the room. She wobbled over to her nightstand. She pulled out a drawer, reaching into it to find a match. Onora lit the wick and the room lit up. It sent a warm glow throughout the room.(edited)
Onora laid her face in her palms. “You probably wanted a present from me and I failed!” She groaned. Onora lifted her head and laid back against the headboard bringing her knees up to her chest.
“I missed you too.” She whispered back. Onora loved having this feeling take over. It’s like nothing could go wrong. But so many things could. She sighed before pressing her lips back onto Howard’s.
Onora giggled. “Good.” She pressed herself against him again, feeling his warmth radiate from his skin. Onora had slipped her tongue into his mouth as she kissed him.
Howard woke up a couple hours later, Onora still pressed against his chest. He gently untangled himself, and padded over to the window. As far as he could tell, it was just after dawn. Lights were beginning to come on all around the city and he eventually sighed and walked over to the bathroom to freshen up.
Helen argued with one of the doctors. She had only been cut a few places during the battle, and she knew she would be fine to be released from the hospital. They'd insisted that she spend the night. She guessed they didn't trust her not to make the injuries worse by overworking them.
"Seriously! I am fine. This is the worst wound I have. It's tiny." She pulled back a bandage on her calf, revealing a large, gory cut. "Okay, it's deeper than I thought, but still."
Jexus stood next to Onora in the training arena. It was packed full of people of all ages who had come to see this event. Howard stood next to Luxa on stage. Beside them, with all eyes upon her, was Kling, flanked by four guards.
Nike stood close by, accompanying Howard. She watched as everyone filled in a took their seats on the rows of bleachers that went around the entire training arena.
"Wait, Demeter, can you take me too?" Helen asked, eager to get out.Demeter nodded. "Certainly."
Helen walked over, favoring her uninjured leg, climbing onto Demeter's back behind Michael.
Once everyone had been seated, Luxa cleared her throat and walked up beside Kling. “Kling the Prowler, you have been sentenced to death for the leading of an assault on our people and our city. You have been given a fair and just trial for this crime. Before you are executed, do you have any last words?”
After Kling stood in silence for a minute, Luxa sighed and turned behind her. Howard passed a gleaming long sword, blunt in the tip but honed with an incredibly sharp edge. The fourteen year old looked slightly comic holding it, but the crowed held the breath as she raised it above her head.
Luxa exhaled shakily, before swinging the sword down in one clean stroke, slicing off Kling’s head. It fell to the ground with a small thump.
19:01
(Pff)
19:02
Luxa twisted the sword around before stabbing it into the dirt. She looked up at the crowd for a moment, before twirling round and stalking off the stage.
The sound of the sword slicing through the air made her stomach turn upside down. Onora screwed her eyes shut, and opened them again when she heard the thump. She watched the blood pour out of Kling’s head, it disgusted her.
19:05
Nike didn’t move or even flinch when Luxa rose her sword. She watched every moment of Kling’s death. Her jaw was clenched in disgust.
Onora nodded. She held Jexus’ claw as he led her over to Genor and Sky. The two of them look a whole lot better. Most of the wounds healed on them, except for Genor’s loss of his eyes.
Sky was standing next to Genor, breathing slightly heavy, still recovering from the back injury. "We are planning on returning to the Overland. Together"
Onora nodded. She watched the two carefully. Tears stung her eyes and eventually dripped down her face. “I’m going to miss you two!” She sobbed, pulling them both in for a hug.
“So...you’re not?” Onora sobbed into her hands, seeing them leave was heartbreaking. They’ve been here for so long, and..and they’ve been good friends to one another.
Michael racewalked over to the group, smiling. “Can you believe it? We won! And all of us are alive! I really feel like I’ve found a home down here... I’ve got so many friends that I care about who care about me too, and if any one of you left us I couldn’t bare it. But now you never will, since the danger’s gone! All of us will be together and nothing can stop us!”
“How do you just...handle things so well? You don’t dwell on any problems, while I’m over here worrying about every single thing!” Onora groaned. She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, exposing her small dangling earrings. Onora slightly smiled at Howard.
Howard clenched his jaw slightly with a frown. “I guess... I just... Life happens, you know? And whatever happens, there’s usually not a lot you can do to change it. So you learn to live with it. And once you do that, once you start to live with the changes, not fight against them, you notice how many good things come out of that. Like you.” Howard said, reaching up and gently stroking her cheek.
19:59
“So I don’t see the point of dwelling on things that have changed, when you could be seizing the opportunities that come from that change.*
“But...” She put her head into his hand. “You’re saying not seeing my mom, or even knowing my mother led me down here?” Onora asked. Her violet eyes looked into Howard’s.
Howard shrugged. “I’m saying that whatever happened in your life, it doesn’t really matter. Because you’re here right now, and whatever events led you here... well, they happened, and there’s nothing you can do to change them.”
Howard frowned. “I’ve got a job. And besides, the economy here is probably different to what your used to. Not to mention the fact that I am literally royalty.”
(Howard: Finding a spouse in the Underland is a long and delicate process, and royalty and an Overlander should not be together.
Howard: Onora we should buy a frickin house)(edited)
Onora nodded. The two headed back to where they were staying currently. She sighed as she unlocked the door. Onora pushed the door open with her leg and walked in.
Onora grabbed some of her nightclothes from the drawer and went into the bathroom to change. She came out in a soft yellow shirt with blue sport shorts on. She yawned, placing her other clothes in a neat pile. Onora climbed onto the bed and snuggled in next to Howard.
Howard became the big spoon, letting Onora press her back up against his chest. He gently reached up and stroked her hair absentmindedly as they drifted off to sleep.(edited)
Onora pressed her back up against her warm chest, she gnawed on her lip. She let her head lay in the crook of her arm. Her soft violet eyes closed as she drifted off to sleep.
Genor gently pushed the door open, seeing Howard’s bare chest for a moment as he quickly pulled his shirt on. “Have you guys seen my daggers? I wanted to take 3 or so go the Overland with me for self defense.”
Onora frowned. “Why did you have sex with them get attached to daggers?” She groaned. Onora lifted up the covers of the bed and turned to her night stand. Pulling out a shiny dagger, she held it out for Genor. “Just take mine.”
She let out a sigh. “Look, do you want to get hurt up there? Or have something to defend yourself?” Onora asked him, pulling the dagger close to herself.
“Yes, but it is a small object. How is echolocation going to help you find your daggers if there are tons in here!” She shot back. This wasn’t how she wanted to start her morning.(edited)
Onora pursed her lips together. She nodded to Howard and handed Genor her dagger. Her hand gently patted Genor’s back. “Don’t get hurt up there.” She whispered.
(I mean he wouldn’t kiss him or anything. Just taking a shower.)
12:04
Onora stood up from the bed, gathering the clothing that she was to wear today. She stretched as headed towards the bathroom. “I’m going to hop in the shower with Howard, care to join me?”
She put the towel on a rack behind the door, and pulled her clothing on. Onora pulled out a toothbrush and some toothpaste and began to brush her teeth.
Onora rinsed out her mouth with a cup of water. She placed it in her spot next to the sink. Onora pulled up her curly hair in a messy bun, smiling with satisfaction.
“If you want to.” Onora replied. She reached into her drawer and pulled out a floral makeup bag. Her hand rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out her powder. She flipped open the lid and began to apply it to her face with a big brush.
Onora chuckled. “Hon, do what you think would look good.” She clicked the lid closed and pulled out contour and started applying that. Onora bit her lip and carefully applied her eyeliner and mascara next. She put those things back into her bag and pulled out her eye shadows. Onora flicked it open, and a range of blues, yellows, greens, and purples were there to choose from. “Which one should I use?” She asked.
Onora rolled her eyes. She decided to go with a neutral gold colour that went well with her skin tone. Taking a tiny brush, she took some of the eyeshadow and applied it to her eyelid. She closed the case and examined herself in the mirror.
“Welp, guess I’ll do black tomorrow.” Onora shrugged. She gathered all of her things and put them away, then turned to her clothing. She picked them up and tossed them into the hamper. “What are we doing today?” She asked Howard. Onora gently ran one of her hands down his back and smirked.
“Can I put my stuff in your bag?” She ask him. Onora opened the bathroom door and walked into the other room. She rummaged through the wooden drawer and pulled out a bikini. It was all white, and tied around her back and the back of her neck.
Onora nodded. “Yeah, but let’s get a flier that doesn’t know us. Won’t suspect anything.” She suggested. Onora grabbed a towel from the closet and placed her items in his bag.
She intertwined her fingers with his, and smiled. They eventually found a flier to take them to the waterway. The two mounted the flier who’s name was Zeus.
Genor sat down beside him. “Of course you will. And I will too. It’s just.... I’m scared that we may die down here.” He admitted. “And if it’s any consolation, say the word and we’ll come back down here.”
"Yeah, I am too. That was too close.. for both of us. I'm glad that we are going back to the Overland." He smiled. "And I'm glad that you're OK with that. The Overland may be safe, but its boring." He joked.
Onora walked across the stone pathway and tried to find where they were currently staying. She eventually found it and neared the big building. Mixed thoughts were going on inside of her head as she gnawed in her lip. She unlocked their door and laid the bag down gently next to their bed. With a shake of her head she rushed back on out and went to find Genor.
She tried to remember where they currently stayed, but she didn’t know if it was right or not. Onora frowned as she approached the door. She lifted her hand an knocked softly. “Genor, Sky?” Onora called softly through the door.
Bloodshed roamed the fount, accompanied by a guard. She eyed the guard but focused on the things around her. She would leave here soon. Just wanted to see the area.
Howard bit his lip and started to walk beside her. "So, uh... earlier...I didn't really get a chance to thank you. I don't know how long I would have been trapped with Earthspike if you hadn't, you know..."
Bloodshed chuckled and laid a paw on his shoulder. “No need to thank me. Everything Ive done was for my kind.” The gnawer eyed the guard, and shifted uneasily. “Why do I have to be accompanied by a guard everywhere I go?” She whispered.
Howard shrugged. "I guess they don't trust you." He smiled. "I'm not sure what they think one guard is going to do if you do decide to attack someone though."
The guard stiffened and shot a cold glance at him. Bloodshed nodded. Something came to mind. She smirked and nudged his arm lightly. “How was ya birthday wish?”
Howard stood still, watching the place where she had disappeared. He wasn't sure if he would ever see her again, but at least he knew he had a friend he could count on.
Onora sighed heavily, taking a bite of her food. She snuck a glance towards Jexus and smiled. The two hadn’t spoke much. Onora placed a her hand on her chest and clears her throat. She watched her food. “Um, are you ok? You seem..quiet.”
Demeter fluttered into the room, looking a bit better than she had the weeks prior. Her one wing was still weak, but her fur looked far cleaner. “What about me?” She asked with a smile.
"By the way, I never asked. Who is that Helen girl? Michael mentioned her, and I think I've seen her around you guys a few times." (it's so hard to rp when literally n oo t h in g is going on)
Jexus sighed and darted after Onora, glancing towards Demeter. He caught her with his wing. “Onora, wait. It’s not... we just haven’t...” He clenched his jaw. “It’s still just too early.”
Later within the day, she emerged from her room, and headed down the hall. She straightened her posture as she walked. Onora knocked on a door that was towards the end of the hall, a deep and cold voice told her to come in. She pushed open the door and kicked it shut.
Moments later she opened the door, her eyes scanned the halls for anyone. There was no one, halls were empty. She walked forward and pulled the door shut. Onora inhaled deeply and exhaled out of her mouth. Taking a tie, she suspended her hair behind her head. The torches glowed, everyone should be asleep. People passed by, she nodded. Biting her lip she carefully twisted the door knob to her room and pushed open the door. She softly pushed it closed, hearing a quiet click. Onora leaned against the door and shut her eyes.
12:08
She sighed softly and shook her head in relief. Howard was asleep on the bed, he was snoring lightly. Onora made her way over to the nightstand next to the bed, but tripped on a piece of clothing. She inhaled sharply and looked over at Howard with wide eyes.
“Sorry my love, I was...working late.” Onora replied softly. She kicked the piece of clothing somewhere where she couldn’t trip over it. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
Onora gnawed on her lip intently. “No, I’ve found a job. I’m helping someone clean up their quarters and they’re paying me for it.” She told him. Onora didn’t dare to meet his gaze, so she focused on cleaning up the room. “There is so many clothes everywhere..” She muttered.
Howard clenched his jaw. He had had suspicions for a while, but now she had all but confirmed it. He looked up at her frowning slightly, before climbing out of the bed and walking up to her.
She inhaled shakily and turned to face him, tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed. “I’m sorry, it—it all got to my head. A deal I couldn’t refuse!” Onora confessed.
“Please Howard, talk to me! I know it was wrong, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Onora sobbed. It didn’t feel right if she went to hug him, so she held her face in her palms instead.(edited)
Onora shook her head. “I-I’m Sorry.” She stammered. Onora shook her head and headed for the door, she pushed it open and let it slam shut. Onora sobbed as she walked down the hall.
After a moment Jexus pulled open the door, then stared at Onora. "Uh... Onora. Do you know what time it is?" He noticed her expression and frowned. "Are you okay?"
Jexus frowned. He vaguely knew Calder, but that wasn't important now. He tentatively stepped forward and wrapped Onora in his wings. "I'm assuming Howard knows now?"
Yep, it was Howard. She paused, trying to figure out what was going on, and why he'd been crying, but also trying not to let on that she wanted to know. "Why the hell are you sleeping in the hallway?"
“Well,” Smokeswirl said, trying to think of some sarcastic remark, but fell silent. He didn’t seem like he would appreciate that. Not now. “That is a shame. Why did she do that?”
"Yeah, well, what can you do. Being alone is better than being with someone who's unfaithful. I feel what you're going through, though. I know you loved her. That's why you deserve better."
"It's your call." She said, knowing Howard would need to be the one to choose. "Maybe you were good together the first time. But there is no coming back from infidelity."
Smokeswirl tutted, shaking her head. "That's not a great sign." She paused, reflecting on her own life. "I would not know how to react if Shredder did that." She realized. She had only been thinking of this in terms of Onora and Howard's relationship. What would she even have done?
Nike was in the hallway, admiring the tapestries that were hung all along the walls. She glanced down the hall and spotted Howard, with giddy she flew up to him. “Hello Howard!”
She engulfed Howard in her wings, the bats black and white fur shielding him from the outside world. “Do not beat up yourself. You are to good for her.” Nike murmured.
“Let It out.” Nike sighed and thought of something. “Did you, do anything when you started noticing her strange behavior?” She asked, pulling away from Howard to look him in the face.
“What did you do prior to the current events? Were you away from her a lot?” Nike questioned. Her voice was soft, and understanding. But maybe if she knew why Onora left him, it would ease him.
Smokeswirl trotted down the halls after her conversation with Howard, still very awake. She figured she may as well return to her and shredder’s room. She pushed the door open with her snout, trying to remain quiet in the darkness.
Smokeswirl's ears flicked in the darkness. "I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd take a walk. Why are you awake?" She asked, padding across the room to sit by Shredder.
Smokeswirl pondered. "Although it seems like a terrible idea for them to get back together, anyone can see that, I feel like Howard may not have the willpower to stay away."
“You’re alright. You wouldn’t have expected it from me, but then again, Howard didn’t expect it either, right?” Smokeswirl paused. “Then again, to be able to cheat, I’d have to find someone to cheat with, first. So you won’t have to worry about that.”
Smokeswirl chuckled, yawning and stretching out. She lay down, looking up with yellow eyes that gleamed in the darkness. “I think I’m finally tired enough to sleep.” She stopped, but added: “I love you.”(edited)
Demeter, who had been returning from one of her regular visits to the hospital, heard the noise. She pricked her ears curiously, following the noise. “Oh, Genor, hello. Why are you awake?”
“That is... a shame. I’ll have to go see him tomorrow. Now is probably not a good time to bother him.” She said, more to herself than Genor. “I really did not expect that.”
Onora groaned and fixed her hair, and adjusted her clothing. She stood up and made her way towards the door. Hesitantly, she twisted the door handle and went out. She went down the corridor and found her room, she not her lip and knocked. Her gaze was fixated on the floor.
“Look, I’m sorry. What I did was wrong. I-I’m just not sure how to handle it...” She whispered. Onora let her head lay on the wall as she exhaled slowly.
Howard sighed, and walked up to her. "Onora." He began. "You can do what you want. You can never talk to me again, if you want. You can continue living here, if you want. You can do anything you want, because I still love you." He bit his lip. "And I don't know if I'm right or wrong with that, but I know I can't change it."
Onora drew blood from her lip. She screwed her eyes shut. “Don’t keep lying to yourself! Because if—if I was you, I wouldn’t.” Onora wrapped her arms around herself and sobbed.
Onora nodded. She respectfully took a few steps back. “I know. I’ll go now...” She whispered. With a heavy sigh, she pursed her lips and turned around. The woman pushed open the door and left. Her head hung as she walked down the hall.
Howard called for him to come in, then stood to face the bat. Eventually Jexus sighed. "She..." He paused. "She's sorry."
Howard nodded. "I know." The pair stood in silence for a moment, before Howard swallowed. "Can... can you make sure she's okay? This can't be easy for her, and..." He choked back a sob. "I just want her to be happy. But I can't be there for her right now, so you have to be."
11:42
Jexus stared at him for a second, then nodded. "You're a good person." He said eventually, slightly shocked. Howard smiled slightly, then grimaced. "Jexus... do you know who Calder is?"
11:44
Jexus looked into Howard's eyes for a long time. "Yes. He... he bunks in dorm B3. But Howard.... I trust you, okay. Don't do anything you'll regret."
11:44
Howard shook his head. "I just want to talk to him." He replied, before stalking out of the room, leaving Jexus wondering if he had made a huge mistake.
Onora made it back to the room, she pushed open the door and proceeded to walk inside. She let the door fall shut behind her. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head in disappointment.
(Michael: Hey Howard how’s it hanging! Man, can you believe it? The war’s over, Demeter and I are bonded, everyone’s happy, it’s great! Besides Genor and Sky leaving soon our lives are basically perfect right now. Nothing could tear us apart!)
Demeter, having woken up a little while before, fluttered around the Fount. Her flight had improved a lot since her wing had been nearly shattered by Nexo. It was nearly normal again. Howard’s situation hung at the back of her mind, and she considered looking for him. Though when she saw him on an empty street, she immediately angled her flight downward to land gently on the stone pathway beside him.
Demeter didn’t say anything more, and wrapped Howard in a warm hug. She knew he’d probably repeated the same feelings to everyone else. As much as she wanted to know what even happened, she knew he needed a hug.
Demeter had just arrived back at the Fount after dropping Howard off. It had felt nice to get out of the area, and stretch her wings. The variety was pleasant. Though she had no idea why Howard wanted to see the gnawers.(edited)
Shredder walked into the training field. It was late at night, and she enjoyed practicing here alone. She noticed Helen staring at the ground sadly. “Are you okay?” She asked.
Helen glanced upwards, looking up, but not seeming to be really there in the moment. "Oh, uh, yeah. I'm just, uh, practicing." She said, fumbling meekly for her sword that had been lying beside her.
Helen couldn't help but laugh a little bit. She'd grown up being told Gnawers were like evil monsters until the last war. Now here was one trying to console her. "I guess. It's just a bit stupid, you know? I'm too old to be acting like this." She said, looking up at Shredder.
"I, uh, kinda overheard them say it." Helen mumbled. "I was trying to sneak up on them as a joke. I saw them in town, and I assumed they'd just forgotten to invite me, but when I went over and hid I heard them."
“Well who needs friends anyway. I went a good three years without friends and I’m doing great! And besides, you already have a different friend group than those idiots.”
"Oh, uh, damn, wow. That's a lot. You'll have to update me on everything sometime." She said, a bit wide-eyed. "I think that right now, I just need to go to bed. I'll feel better then... I hope?"
Smokeswirl glanced at the figure down the hall, catching the scent of Onora and raising a brow. She felt like it would be strange to turn around and pretend as if she didn’t see. So she continued walking. “Well.” She said, as she grew closer.
Onora lifted her head out of her palms, and turned to face the blurred figure that grew closer. Her eyes hung tiredly, as there was big bags and she could barely keep her eyes open. All from those damn sleepless nights. “What do you want?” Onora snapped.
Smokeswirl paused, but didn’t show much of a reaction to Onora’s disheveled appearance. “I’m just walking.” She said, gesturing with her tail. “You seem tired.”
Smokeswirl stopped. Onora seemed broken. In all fairness.... she HAD brought it upon herself. But she still felt guilty. “Why don’t you go get some sleep instead of sitting in the hall?”
(Yo I gotta disappear for a little bit bc my phone needs to charge and I can’t reach it because the cord is tiny)
Jexus fluttered around the Fount, worried. He hadn't seen Onora in ages. Eventually he caught sight of her slumped in a corridor. "Hey." He said quietly, shocked slightly at how lost she looked.
Onora straightened her posture, and fixated her gaze on the approaching figure. Her voice was low and hoarse, her eyes dropped from sleepless nights. “Hi.”
Jexus stepped slightly closer to her. "Come with me. Please. We can go somewhere quiet." His voice was pained. He hated seeing her like this. So... hopeless.
“I know! I don’t need it. Why don’t you just go comfort Demeter or someone.” Onora snapped. She folded her arms across her chest. Emotions bubbled up within her, she did her best to keep them down.
Jexus bit his lip. "Because I'm here for you. Because you need to be taken care of. Because even though you'll never admit it, Onora, you're broken inside. And it breaks me to watch you slowly kill yourself."
She sighed heavily and turned to face Jexus. Onora stared at Jexus sadly. “I did this to myself. I thought I was lonely before, now I’m more lonely then ever.” She whispered.
Jexus paused. "You're lonely because you push away people who try to help." He eventually said. "Like you just did with me. But I will always keep trying to help you. No matter what you do, no matter how many times you ignore me, I and everyone else will always be here. And that is the opposite of loneliness."
Nike sat out on the balcony, watching everyone pass by. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around but glanced, she saw the shape of Howard. Nike gasped and widened her eyes. “E-excuse me!” Nike farted down towards him and engulfed him in her wings. “Howard!”
Howard jumped onto Nike's back. He had missed the feeling of flying. He absentmindedly traced the black-and-white patterns on her fur as they sped towards the palace.
Jexus broke into a grin and went to hug Howard, before thinking better of it and stepping back. "Howard... it's good to have you back." He said finally.
12:16
Howard nodded. "Is... is Onora in there? Can I talk to her?" Jexus paused, before nodding and stepping out of the way. "We'll give you some privacy." He said, looking pointedly at Nike.
Onora sat in the dimly lit room, she did look a little better. She had been getting sleep, but not enough. Her eyes still had bags under them, but those almost completely went away. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun upon her head as she read a book near the oil lamp that lit the room.
Onora pursed her lips together as if she had something other to say. She shook her head, undoing her bun. With a sigh she took the tie and redid her hair.
Howard paused for a second. "Onora... I don't know if this makes me good, or bad, or weak, or whatever, but... I don't want to leave you. It's that simple. I still love you. And I think you know that I will always still love you. And that... that might be why you did it."
Howard clenched his jaw. "For fcks sake, Onora, I genuinely thought you'd be better than this." *He saw her recoil as if he'd slapped her. "Look at yourself. You're barely functioning right now, and it's only down to Jexus you're not dead yet. I know you're better than this; you know you're better than this. I'm not going to tell you to grow up, you're not a kid. But if you can't do this, if you can't start genuinely facing up to what you did... then go back. Go back to the Overland."(edited)
Onora didn’t bother to wipe her eyes, she just snapped. “You don’t think I can’t fcken handle myself? Some of my *leg is gone. Did I complain once, no! I’m sorry if you think I’m such a fcken baby. Because guess what...” *Onora paused for a moment. Her gaze dropped as tears weld up in her eyes. “I... I’m still in love you.”
12:43
Nike winced as she heard them arguing. She turned to Jexus with a worried face. “Should we interfere?”
Onora gnawed on her lip. “I’m sorry, I just...this wasn’t why I wanted to talk about this.” She finished. Onora pursed her lips and brought her hands to her face, she shook her head and turned away.
Howard sighed. "I just... I like you, yeah. But it's not going to go straight back to what it was before. What you did... it hurt. And I'm still not sure I'm over it yet. With time, yeah. But for now, can we just... leave the actual intimate stuff?"
Onora pursed her lips together and nodded. “Y-Yeah. Of course.” She awkwardly scooted off the bed and towards the door. “I should probably go tell Edwynn that I’ll be staying with her for a bit.”
She shook her head and began to open the door. “No, I’m fine. Have your room back.” Onora walked out the door and disappeared down the hall to find Edwynn.
Howard stared at the door with a slightly sad look on his face, then got up and glanced around until he caught Jexus and Nike looking at him guiltily. He laughed slightly and shook his head.
A couple hours later, Howard emerged from his room. He had the strangest feeling of deja vu from his previous experience returning from the gnawer lands, but didn't know where to go now.
Jexus was bored. There was nothing to do. Sighing, he searched for one of his friends, and stumbled across Shredder lying just off the training arena. "Hey."
“That’s a sad life, to be honest.” She said. “How about just relax for a little bit? Take it easy? Get another kid with Demeter to fill the hole in my heart.”
“Ego issues?” She joked. “Practice against someone better than you? Ripred’s still a decent fighter, you know, if your boredom ever be pushed to that point.”(edited)
Howard rounded the same corner Onora had, and caught sight of them both. He froze for a second, but was determined to prove to himself and his friends that he and Onora could still be in each other's company.
“I mean, what I did wasn’t right. I think we‘ll be awkward around each other for however long it lasts. At least I’m talking to you, and you’re talking to me.” Onora said. She sighed and watched the ground as the walk, still hugging the notebook to her chest.
Onora sat in Edwynn’s room, humming a tune from the overland that she learned years ago while she made the bed. Her violet eyes scanned the messy room and shook her head with a sigh. Onora began to cleanup the entire room.
Howard bit his lip. "I wanted to ask... if we could... maybe move back in." He sighed. "I just... I miss you, really. And I know we won't have what we had before, but I want to start building back to it."
She shrugged, but pausing for a moment just to tease him. “Sure. Edwynn’s room is to messy for me anyway.” Onora pointed at the big pile of clothes right in the middle of the floor.
Onora rolled her eyes playfully. She turned and stared at the pile of clothes guarding her own. With a shake of her head, she kicked the pile out of the way and grabbed her folded clothing. She stuffed them into a bag. A few moments later she disappeared into the bathroom to collect her belongings.
Onora nodded in thanks and began to unpack her stuff. She did the same as when she was here. Shirts in the top, pants and undergarments in the bottom. Onora folded the bag up neatly and laid it on the countertop.
Her heart began to beat faster and faster. She squeezed her eyes shut, risking something she had, Onora leaned into Howard. Giving out a awkward chuckle and decided to open up her eyes. “Really?”
A smile spread across Onora’s lips. She rose up onto her toes and kissed his cheek. “Just take it slow. Don’t go planning anything yet.” She whispered.(edited)
Howard nodded, then changed his mind and shook his head. "Screw that." He said, reaching his hand up to Onora's waist and pulling her closer to him, then leaning down towards her.
“You won’t.” She murmured. Her soft lips connected to his, some emotion started to bubble up within her. Onora wrapped her arms around his neck and backed into the bed.
Onora introduced her tongue and began to fight for his domain, but stopped before that got to far. She paused for a moment, shuffling awkwardly off of him. “I think...I think that was enough for now.”(edited)
Michael sat in his room, silently, as if waiting for something interesting to happen, for someone to burst through the door and start a dramatic scenario in which they could converse and interact with each other, weaving a story with every word coming out of their mouths. He was also very hungry.
“Of course, there are no people here besides myself that I know of. Helen is... somewhere, I haven’t seen her in a while. Want me to leave you alone for a bit?”
“Listen, I’m sorry about Onora. She did a really crappy thing. But you’ll find someone a lot better than her, and maybe you can still be friends, if you really want to.”(edited)
(i havent talked about this with attie dont get excited yet.)
16:27
Howard bit his lip. "I... I love her. I'll always love her. But after... after what happened, I don't think I trust her. And if I don't trust her, I don't think I can be with her."
“I don’t blame you. It’s hard to let go. But you have to make a choice. If she can prove to you that you can trust her and you should stay with her, then do it. But if she can’t... then move forward.”
Howard looked up at Michael. "So? Why should that mean I should hurt her?" He sighed. "I try to live my life by that. Things go wrong. People f*ck up. But if everyone blames or hurts each other for vengeance... what does that gain?"
“The difference is, she hurt you for selfish reasons. You’re doing it because you’re not happy. People say there are no good wars, but that’s not true. Yes, war itself is bad, but in the Overland, there have been wars that have resulted in slavery being abolished, lives being saved, people being able to be themselves and not having to live in hiding, shutting out who they really are. Hell, right now, we’re fighting partially so the crushers can be free. My point is, hurting people isn’t good, and it’s very hard. But it’s necessary sometimes. Sometimes it’s the only thing you can do.”(edited)
16:40
(I have such a way with words)
16:43
(I actually Dorn know why Onora cheated on Howard but I’m assuming it’s just cause she wanted to have sex with somebody)
Howard felt a lump in his throat "I've spent most of my life trying to help others, Michael. I try my hardest to be a good person. And yes, sometimes people are shtty, and hurtful, and you should look after yourself instead of them, but it feels so *wrong to not... not help. And I genuinely don't think I can ignore and hurt the people I love."
“Howard, you are a good person, no matter what you do here. But if you put yourself back into a relationship you’re not happy in it’ll be even worse for both of you.”
Howard looked at Shredder guiltily, the pillow still clutched in his hands. When she turned towards Michael, he yeeted chucked it at her back, then looked around innocently.
“Actually, do mind. It means someone who is highly respected. So if you’re talking to someone important, go ahead and call them a bitch, tell them it’s an Overland term.”
Nike fluttered around the fount, in search of someone to talk to. Her black and white fur flashed past everyone. She squeezed through the occasional crowds and waved down Shredder with her wing. “Hey!”
Michael woke up from a quick nap. He went into the hallway, hoping to find something to eat or something to do. ( @DrBracewell sorry for taking so long I had to do something)
Nike landed in the training area, lowering herself down so Howard was able to slide off. She gave a nod. “I think.”
Onora slid off of Jexus’ back, a sad expression plastered on her face. With a sigh she stood near Jexus. “You guys promise to visit us?”
She gave the two a smile and inhaled sharply. “No no no. Before we go up there, I have something to say. It may sound cheesy. But don’t laugh.” Onora glared at Jexus.
Onora rolled her eyes playfully, and began to talk. “Genor, Sky. You don’t know how much we’ll miss you two. Those adventures we were on together, they weren’t the best, but deep down, I still had fun. You guys made us laugh, everyone had ups and downs along the way though. But for how far we’ve come for war, battles, difficult situations, I’m happy for you both. I wish you to have the best life up there.” She paused for a moment. “And If you don’t visit I will come up there and drag you down here myself.” Onora walked up to Genor and gave him a hug, the same for Sky.
Sky looked around the group one lasy time and thought back to their adventures. It was gonna be boring in the Overland in comparison, but it was what he needed. "Thanks Onora. We'll miss you all too." He walked over to one of the bats.
Michael gave Sky a fist bump and Gregor a hug. "Have fun up there, kiddos. But not too much fun. And if either of you hurt the other, I will kill whoever hurt them."
Nike waddled over to Sky and engulfed him in her black and white wings. She pulled apart from him soon after. “Fly high. Do not go and shoot someone with that.” Nike told him, she glanced at the gun he was carrying.
Jexus watched as the rock closed off his view of the two Overlanders. Howard paused, then gently wrapped his arm around Onora and pulled her closer to him.
Smokeswirl was sitting on the training field, watching people go about their training. Peoplewatching had become one of her favorite activities.(edited)
“No you idiot. I tried with someone else, it just wasn’t the same. Oh, and by the way, none of you too are really in any position to be giving relationship advice. Michaels like 11 or something, and Smokeswirl hid her feelings and sexuality until like 2 months ago.”
(michael, smokeswirl and howard: have a normal conversation
howard: hey by the way onora cheated on me
michael and smokeswirl: im sorry
howard: dont give me relationship advice)
19:22
(wait but im confused. wolf said to break up with her and you said you tried and talked about a relationship with a rat in which you tried to break up with her and it wasn't the same?)(edited)
(Howard was there first okay mr NORMAL CONVERSATION and “Leave her. It’s never gonna be the same. Just find someone who won’t cheat on you.”” = relationship advice not ‘“I’m sorry”)
19:23
(No wolf said ‘find someone who won’t cheat on you’)
(‘Oh my god you such an idiot’ + ‘You’re and idiot in all situations’ + ‘Leave her idiot.’ + ‘are you that much of a pushover’ does not equal ‘I’m sorry’)
Howard paused. “Look, I don’t know what the right thing to do for me or her is, but the one thing I know for fcking certain is that i *do love her. And I’m pretty sure I’ll always love her.”
(lmao i love how we glossed over genor being blinded, demeter's baby dying, servus dying, and howard screwing a giant rat but we are still on onora cheating on howard which happened months ago)
(Maybe they’ve all been affected by the war so much that they can’t bring themselves to think about their loss, and instead focus on the least depressing event they can find)
After a few minutes of talking about Onora with Howard and Smokeswirl, Michael felt a little tired. He went back inside, where he saw Shredder and Onora.
21:08
(i am motel art when it comes to starting roleplays)(edited)
21:09
(it isnt really pretty but it is still appreciated and it works)
"Yeah. Anyways, how about we get something to eat? I'm starving. I've noticed that recently I've been getting up to get some food, then I'll get sidetracked and start talking to somebody for around two minutes. Then I'll just take a nap or something." (reference to how I always start my rps the same way and how the roleplays last like 2 minutes now)
Onora slowly walked around the fount. The glowing lights seemed to fade. Just like everyone she used to know. The fount was a beautiful place. Reconstruction was taking place to repair it from the war, but other than that nothing was going on. Everyone stopped talking to one another, too busy with their own lives now. Nike and Onora talked from time to time, she would find Demeter at times. Onora stopped at a balcony that overlooked the fount. Regaining memories. Her legs ached from walking. She gave a dull smile and shut her purple eyes softly. Was this it?
Edwynn went in for the hug, almost relieved. “I’ve been good! We’ve been very busy.” She said, patting Cass on her back.
“It is very good to see you!” Cass said after catching her breath.
Onora gave a light chuckle. “As I see.” She looked out at the beautiful city, and let out a sigh. “How has the reconstruction been going? I heard from others it’s been dreadful.”
“Oh it is.” Edwynn replied with a light chuckle. “We have been sent everywhere to do everything.” Cass piped up and added. “Yes, from hauling materials and tools, to delivering messages, we’ve done it all.” Edwynn nodded and turned to Onora. “Have you been drug into all of this horrendous work?”
“Not yet. I’m waiting to be though. It’s quite boring just sitting around.” Onora went to lean on the tail of the balcony. “So, have you found any special someone yet?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.
Edwynn laughed, rolled her eyes, and gave Onora a playful slap on the shoulder. “Oh you shut it.” She giggled some more. “I’ve not had any luck but Cass over here has her eye on someone.” She winked and nudged Cass, who giggled in embarrassment.
“Oh really now? Now who might that be?” Onora grinned at Cass and laughed. She brushed her hair off of her should before wiggling her eyebrows at Cass.
Cass felt herself blush bright pink, and was glad her fur covered it up. “Oh it is of no matter.” She backpedaled “Have you found anyone special?” She retorted, with a giggle.
“Oh please, you’re gorgeous and you know it.” Edwynn said, jokingly, even though she meant it. “Cass over here has here eye on Kalix.” Edwynn winked at an increasingly blushing Cass.Cass felt beet red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She tried to retort but a smile crept into her face.
“Now, if I was a flyer, I would totally snatch him up.” Onora exclaimed to Cass with a giggle. She looked at Edwynn once more. “Are you sure you don’t have special someone?”
“I’m sure.” She Replied “I’ve been too busy to be looking. Don’t get me wrong I’ve seen a couple of cute guys, but no one I’m interested in long term.” She giggled and turned to Cass. “She’s the one we gotta look out for. Kalix is very distracting, or so I’ve noted.”
Demeter exited her room into the hallway, a small leather pack strapped to her side. She was prepared to scout out Regalia, to see how many of the prowlers were still stationed there. She would meet up with the others soon.
Kalix was fluttering down the hallway to meet up with everyone down by the gates. He hobbled through the halls until he found an exit and glided down to the ground. He saw Cass with Edwynn in tow shortly behind him.
Onora managed to stumble out of her room, and shut the door behind her. She straightened herself out, time to get back into routine. Onora walked the long halls of the fount swiftly in time to meet the others.
“Hey guys!” Kalix said to the group after everyone had arrived. “Um, does everyone have a flier?” He asked tentatively, looking toward Onora and Michael.
Onora nodded in gratitude. She swung her prosthetic leg over his back, then her other leg. She made herself comfortable before waiting for Edwynn and Cass.
Edwynn looked around to see that everyone was on a flier, and signaled to Cass to take off. Cass took a second to respond to Edywnn. She shook her head and blinked, looking away from Kalix. The pair took off with everyone following closely.
Edwynn burst out laughing, changing Cass' blushing to giggling.
21:27
Kalix noticed the pair laughing and looking his direction. He figured it was some inside joke with Onora. He shook his head slightly and laughed quietly to himself.
Demeter took off, and glanced around at the group. “We’ll need to be relatively stealthy. I doubt that there will be many Prowlers left, but it’s better to be safe.”
Edwynn calmed herself down from the laughter, and felt Cass do the same. As fun as all the joking was, she didn’t want Kalix to seriously distract Cass. She smiled to herself, glad that Cass seemed like her old self when she was gushing over Kalix.
Onora shrugged. She patted Kalix’s back, leaning down so she could whisper into his ear. “You think I could try something? Learned it in training but I didn’t have a flier to use.”
She sat up some and began to instruct the flier. “When I fall to the side, you grab my legs, got it?” Onora asked. The halflander was already preparing by standing on his back.
Onora inhaled deeply, her curly hair flowing in the slight breeze. She dove off of his side, hoping he would grab her in time. While she fell she pulled out her rusty gold daggers. The halflander was almost to the ground.
Kalix grabbed both her ankles as she neared the ground. He heard her draw her daggers shortly before he grabbed her. He did not prefer to catch humans in this manner and did his best to stay calm.
Onora held her breath and scraped her daggers on the ground, causing an echo. She hung upside down as they flew for a little while, it was a fighting technique. “Ok, now fling me up!” She instructed.
Kalix did as she asked, tossing her in front of him and scooping her back up with his snout. He was noticeably relieved to have her back on him. “We could get better at that with some more practice.” He offered.
“We have time to practice right now if you have any team building suggestions.” Edwynn offered cheerfully. Cass nodded, eager for an opportunity to work with Kalix.
Edwynn shrugged her shoulders. “Um, as long as everyone is comfortable on all the fliers then I think we’re good, at least until we can get some real training in an arena.” Cass nodded in agreement.
At the fount Onora hopped off of the flier that took her back, she nodded her head in thanks. Her prosthetic shifted out of place, which caused her leg to be in some pain. She whined.
An small furry bat fluttered down to land by the Fount, An couple bags loaded onto her back. Hera studied the area and quietly hopped over towards the entrance to the font, And then asked an guard if she could enter. After she had been granted permission to enter the village Hera leaped up and then glided deeper into her town, To the resting place she had been requested to bring some herbs and food to.
Onora saw the flier whiz past her, she held her hand up and called out. “Hey, you think I could get some help?” She asked. Her curly hair was restrained by a hair tie behind her head.
Hera flared out her wings to slow down, And turned towards the human calling out to her. Hera was an tad bit quizzical of the human's odd looks, But ignored it, Knowing it was rude to judge. "Yes? What kind of help do you need?" The bat asked, Large ears aiming towards the Underlander.
Onora fell to the ground with a thump and curled her hand into a fist. The frustrated girl gestured to her prosthetic leg that slid off of her every time she moved.
Grace scanned the city below, trying to see if she could glimpse a familiar head of hair in the torch-lit streets below. "Where are we going? To Gregor?"
Lizzie glanced around, An tad bit overwhelmed by all the people milling around the Fount. She saw bats flying up overhead, Some other people walking around her. It was an tad bit claustrophobic, If she didn't say so herself.
"Michael, do you know where he may be? Otherwise, we may just have to look around. I know he spends much time on the training field. We could check there."
Lizzie nodded, "Okay." She honestly didn't know what words to speak in this situation, And just decided to be quiet and let her mom do all the talking.
Demeter turned, soaring in the direction of the field. As she neared it, she noticed a figure that she was almost certain to be Gregor. She circled once, confirming that it was him, and descended to land on the mossy turf. "Warrior, I am sorry to disturb your training, but..." She paused, unsure of how to phrase it without being longwinded. She simply lowered her head, revealing Lizzie and their mother on her back.
Grace grabbed her son's arms, pulling him into a hug, realizing a second later she was crying. "Gregor, I was so worried! Why haven't you came home??? Are you okay?!"
"Gregor?" Grace pulled back slightly, "you're not hurt are you?" A flash of panic swept through her, and she jerked even further back to get a good look at her son. God, he looked so thin.
Lizzie cautiously slid down off of the bats back and dashed towards her mother and brother, "Gregor! Where have you been? Are you okay?" She asked, Just as worried as her mother was.
He took a deep breath. “Mom, I’m so sorry... what are you doing down here?”
18:28
Michael turned to Demeter. “About what you said, about going back up, I don’t want to. I really just miss being a child again, before fighting and seeing... you know, the war.”
Grace wanted to yell, to scream. "There's always a war." Grace tried to plead instead, to get her son to understand.
18:47
"If it's not this, it'll be something else. This place is dangerous Gregor! And you're not responsible for the people here! You're 12. Come home, please!"(edited)
“I’m sorry for disappearing, mom, it was an act of desperation. And there were so many things that made me stay, and I have a home here now! I can’t leave!”
Grace dropped to her knees. "What about your family Gregor? Me and your dad, Lizzie and Boots! You're friends from school, your life Gregor! You don't belong here."
Grace jerked back, as if slapped. "Stay here? Gregor, it's too dangerous here! Your sister and father almost go into fits at the mere mention of this place!"
Grace realized too late she was near yelling at her son at this point.(edited)
Demeter glanced around, noticing that the other people training on the field had begun to look at them. She carefully approached them. “If you would like, I can take you somewhere more private where you can talk and set down your belongings.” She said gently.
Smokeswirl had been out, doing one of her favorite personal activities. Peoplewatching. She sat out of sight on the training field, or somewhere else in public, and just watched what happened. Sometimes it was boring. Sometimes she caught something interesting or something hilarious. Today, she was surprised to see two unfamiliar Overlanders arrive with Demeter and Michael. As she watched the interaction unfold, she noted that Michael looked like he was uncomfortably fifth-wheeling a family discussion. Also wanting to know what was going on, she made herself visible, beckoning with her tail for Michael to sneak away.
Smokeswirl exchanged a glance with Demeter, and then lowered her head to look at Michael. “What the hell was going on there?” She asked casually, quiet as to not interrupt the conversation. She beckoned with a paw for him to walk inside so they could actually talk.
Michael took a deep breath. “Gregor- er, the Warrior’s mom and sister are here. Apparently he came down here without telling them and they’ve been worried sick about him for months. They finally came down looking for him. He says he needed to stay ‘cause of the war, she says he should’ve come back up.”
“Oh?” Smokeswirl said, interested, as she walked inside. “Now that’s interesting. I’m not fond of that kid, I’ll be honest with you.”
(Bitch I’m like 70 pages into the novel I’m writing)
(I’ll share the google doc with you tomorrow if you DM me in the afternoon to remind me. I have to transfer the finalized-ish parts to another doc because my personal WIP doc is absolutely covered in notes for me to fix shit)
(Low key the only reason Smokeswirl doesn’t like Gregor is because of how he was during the first mission. Who was controlling him back then btw? He was p out of character)
(I forgot to send this buT Okay mikl but you have to promise to not judge chapter six or anything after because it’s all really messy and not formatted/edited. Also keep in mind everything there may change. I may change details or large parts of the story and you might Get Confused if you stop and start reading again after I change somethin)
21:25
(Sky had the guns but so did Gregor I think? Or was I just confusing them? All I know is Gregor was kinda weird at first)
(And I don’t think Gregor did? I mean he and Genor did get into a fight and Gregor was acting really cocky for the first few weeks of the rp but after that he was fine I think)
(I don’t recall much of the beginning tbh all I remember is he got into a yeet with Smokeswirl at one point)
(Lets just fugeddaboudit because gregor’s been in character when u control him)
(Gregor said okay but Lizzie and grace still gotta agree to leave. I think it’ll be fine with just grace tho and Lizzie can just be assumed to come with)
Grace looked to Demeter, then finally noticed their growing audience. If she wasn't so frustrated and scared for her family at the moment, she might've been embarrassed. "Yes, that would probably be for the best. Thank you."
Demeter nodded, quietly letting them climb onto her back. “It is much quieter in Howard’s family home.” She said, noticing Lizzie’s anxious glances at the crowd.
(She had the ability to see shit as it happened from wayyyy far away, like, across the underland. She told Smokeswirl about the prowlers before promptly dying of exhaustion or starvation
"Thank you," Grace said again to Demeter as they entered the impressively sized, stone home. "I don't plan to be here long, hopefully my family and I can get out of all your hairs soon."
Demeter nodded, but didn’t want to leave them to wander alone. She covertly found a guard, and requested for Luxa to be notified. Since the large home had been used as a temporary palace, they were not hard to find.
Grace watched the bat leave, unsure on whether she wanted the young queen present. She probably couldn't count on her to be on her side in this argument.
"Gregor you can't stay here."(edited)
Demeter let them talk while she wracked her brain for a place to take them. She didn’t know where they’d be housed yet. She decided to take them to one of the sitting rooms near her and Jexus’ room. She gently took their bags and set them down, trying to make everything slightly less difficult for the family.
After sending Lizzie off with Dulcet to calm down, who was currently taking her to see the Fount’s version of the decryption room, Demeter decided to take Grace to a room she could stay in. She had asked a guard about it, who had directed her to an empty one. She didn’t know where Gregor had went. She led Grace down a corridor towards the room, carrying her things for her.
Grace followed after Demeter quietly, wringing her hands tightly as they went. She hadn't planned on them staying the night. She prepared for it, but she had hope it wouldn't come to it.
16:50
"Thank you again, for bringing us here," she said, once they reached the room the guards had indicated. "Honestly, I can't thank you enough for all you've done for us so far.."(edited)
Finally Grace's posture slumped, the energy and frustration from her earlier argument with her son draining out of her. "I'm sorry for imposing, I'm sure it must be busy here. I just want.. I just want to get my kids and leave."
17:32
(You're fine! I was just making sure you saw it, if you're busy I can wait on replies. It's no biggie.)
“I understand.” Demeter said sympathetically, entering the room and placing down Grace’s possessions. “It’s an unfamiliar place. And I’m sure it must have been terrifying to see him disappear without a word.”
"As many times as this has happened now, I wish I could say I was used to it." Grace let out a humorless laugh. "And I wish this place could be less familiar."
"I'm still sorry, for your loss." Grace made her way to bed wedge into the corner and sat down on the edge, hands clasped together in her lap. "I know this place is your home.. But it seems especially cruel here."
“We don’t exactly count our ages the same way as you do. We grow up quickly. I’m not certain how old, exactly. I’m considered by most to be a young adult.” She shrugged.
"Ah. I wasn't sure. The boy you were with, Michael? He looked Gregor's age..." Grace frowned at the thought. They were all still too young to be fighting for their lives down here.(edited)
"Oh.. That's.. I'm sorry." She looked away awkwardly, then tried to change the subject. "The last I had heard of the Underland, I thought there was a peace treaty. Is that no longer a thing?"(edited)
“It’s... very confusing. There was. The situation with the Gnawers is tense. They are very split on the issue, too. We were attacked while heading through by a lot of them, but others seem to be trying to hold up the treaty. The Gnawers themselves haven’t attacked in a while. But many humans are still against them because of their allyship, even if not all of them are to blame.” She tried to explain. So much had happened. It was difficult to keep track.
"I see... I'm sorry this is happening again, I didn't want what I said earlier to seem like I didn't care.. I just... don't want my son in the middle of it." Grace sighed and buried her face into her hands.
Demeter gently placed a wing on her shoulder. “I don’t know what to say. It seems your son has made his decision.” She says, unsure of how to make her feel better.
"It shouldn't be a decision he can make, he's a child." Grace couldn't help the frustration that bubbled up in her voice. "I'm his mother, and my job is to take care of my children and make sure they're happy and safe. And they aren't safe here."
"Why can't it be enough?" Grace quickly wiped away the tears that were threatening to slip from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be unloading all this on you. You've been so kind. I'm sure you have your own problems to deal with."
"Thank you." Grace felt ashamed, despite what the kind bat said, she still felt wrong to complain to almost a complete stranger. And unlike Grace's family, Demeter actually lived here. She must know too well how harsh this place could be.
“Can I be honest with you?” Demeter said softly. “I’m so finished with this war. I don’t want to be a part of it at all. But I have to. I just want things to be normal so I can figure out my own life.”
"I'm sorry." Grace wasn't sure what to say. "I wish things were different. It's so strange knowing just a couple of miles above, life is so different.... Is there no way you could... leave? Escape?"
“No, I’ve been told there aren’t many places a massive bar could hide. Not in the Overland, at least. And even down here, the safest places are in the cities. And I would have to bring my mate, and my bond... and not to mention all of my friends....”
Grace winced, she didn't even want to think about how the rest of the world would react to giant talking bats suddenly appearing in downtown New York. "No, no. If anyone's been rambling it's me. I'm sorry, I didn't think about your situation fully."
You can continue, Its gonna be an while, Pretend Lizzie is just sitting their or just using the bathroom. personal stuff going on that I didn't expect, In trying though ;-;))
Helen sat quietly off to the side of the training field, perched on top of a boulder. On her lap, she held an unusual item. A book. She was reading intently, ignoring the training going on.
Michael, after gossiping with Smokeswirl a little bit, decided to go ahead and get some training done to clear his mind. He saw an Underlander sitting off to the side reading, and made nothing of it. But, wait- He looked back at her again. How could she be reading if there was no paper down here? And...
“What are you reading?” Michael asked.
(I’m sorry m8 I’m in class and teacher saw my phone lol)
13:47
Helen nearly fell off the boulder. She’d been questioned about it before, but never so casually. Overland books were not often found in the hands of teenagers. “Oh- I- Uh. I’m not sure. The cover wasn’t intact. It’s the newest book I’ve gotten, though.”
“Some Overlander girl. She has to fight to the death in this strange battle called the Hunger Games. I think it’s science fiction, but I’m not certain. There’s so much going on that I wouldn’t be surprised if they were doing that somewhere in the overland.” She rambled, looking up. She nearly fell again when she realized that she was talking to an Overlander.
15:01
(Was gonna make it a random classic but I liked ur idea better)
“Really?” She asked, shocked to be holding something that may have been read by hundreds of Overlanders. It must be an important culture piece, she gathered. “It is missing a few pages, but I can pretty much tell what’s going on. You can borrow it. But do you know if it is real or fiction? I would check the back but, again, no cover.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” She sighed. She wanted to ask so many questions about the Overland, she didn’t know where to start. “You’re really from the Overland?”
Grace felt like she'd been going in circles, trying to trace her way back to the training grounds had proved to me more difficult than she originally thought. Everything looked so much different from the ground.
20:33
She needed to find Gregor, but she couldn't do anything if she was lost.
Grace spun around at the familiar voice. "Demeter! Oh, I'm, I was looking for Gregor, he never came back to our room. I thought I'd go back to the training grounds but... I'm lost."
"Thank you so much," Grace said in a rush, quickly walking over to join the bat, "and they really are, how does anyone ever find anything in this place??"
"I honestly have no clue. I just got used to it. The palace in Regalia is far worse, although this building clearly tried to copy its architecture." She said, leading Grace in the correct direction. "Sometimes I turn down the wrong hall and wind up somewhere I've never been before."
Grace followed close beside Demeter, trying and failing to memorize the path as they went. "I was only ever in the hospital wing here, I remember it being much easier to get around. And the hospital wing in Regalia too."
"Yes, the layout there is far simpler." She agreed. "The field is just outside." She said, beckoning to a door with her wing. The building was right beside it, which was convenient.
Grace wanted to groan when she realized how close the field had been all along. Well, at least she was here now. "I just hope Gregor is still here." Grace said opening the door.
Grace spotted Gregor the moment she stepped onto the field, instantly making a beeline towards her son, she started to call his name but stopped short when she noticed the look on his face. A look directed at her. "Gregor?" She asked, stopping a few short steps away from him. "What's wrong? Why haven't you come to the rooms?"
“Mom, I don’t want to go back to the Overland,” he said quietly. “I love you and Dad and our family, but the people down here need me. I know this is a lot to ask, but if we could stay here... all of us...”
"Gregor, we can't just, upend ours lives and live down here. Grandma is in the hospital, your father has therapy, Lizzie loves her advanced math classes. Not to mention the damage this place has done to this family, Gregor, why can't you understand this??"
“I do understand, but there isn’t anything for me in the Overland. I was miserable. I have no friends anymore, I dread doing all of the things that used to make me happy- and you guys don’t have to stay, but maybe you can visit me once in a while.”(edited)
"Gregor-" Grace stopped as she fully registered what her son was saying to her. She thought his experiences down below had affected him harshly, just as it did Lee; that his depression lately had been from the trauma of it all.Had he truly been so unhappy back home? "Gregor, I'm sorry I didn't realize how hard things were for you. I truly am, but things aren't that simple. You're a minor, my child, you can't just live underground."
Gregor knew this. He felt tears forming on his eyes. “I’m sorry Mom,” he whispered. “I really didn’t mean to stay so long. And if you really want me to go back, I will.” It was a huge effort for him to keep his voice steady.
"Maybe," Grace's voice hitched, "maybe we can work something out. If being here means that much to you. You could visit? From time to time. You just-" Grace was crying now. "Please don't disappear on me Gregor, please don't vanish without a word next time. I can't. I can't bear for it to happen again. I'm so tired of my family being taken from me, from not knowing if they're okay. Please Gregor."
Gregor nodded. “I’m so sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to say bye to Luxa, and then so many things happened and I got caught up in the war. I’ll never do it again,” he choked out between sobs.
Grace pulled her son into a hug, both now openly crying in the middle of the training grounds. Grace would feel embarrassed later though, right now she had her son back. "It's okay, honey. It's okay."
Gregor returned the embrace. Just then had the full impact of what he’d done hit him. He had himself wrapped in believing that they were fine without him. They weren’t. He had done the same thing his dad did... only on purpose. He squeezed his eyes shut and put his head on his mom’s shoulder, choking back tears.(edited)
"I'm sorry, mom, but look on the bright side. The prophecies are done. I'm not going anywhere and nobody else is, either. Our family will finally be together from now on."
Demeter, lacking anything to do and wanting to get her mind off of things, opted to go find Michael. She turned down the hallway his room was located in, hoping to find him there.
Michael noticed that she jumped, but decided not to say anything. "There was this Underland girl who wanted to know some stuff about the Overland. She asked me to meet her today so she could ask some questions. You can come and listen, if you want." Michael felt a little weird. Kind of like a celebrity, kind of like a freak.
“Aw, you don’t know for certain.” She said, putting a claw on his shoulder. “But I’ll let you know what I think.” She said, beginning to walk down the hall.
Demeter walked out, too.Meanwhile, Helen was perched on the same rock from earlier. She'd arrived early, having written her questions on a thin stone slate in chalk.
“I am well! I did stay up all night, though, finishing that book.” She said, handing him the tattered copy of the Hunger Games like he’d asked. “The ending implied more books came after it, but I checked my collection of random sequels that make no sense without context and nothing seemed to fit.”
"You don't have to, but that would be pretty cool." She said, not wanting to push for it too hard. She was just happy to have someone to talk to about her interests. ( @(moved accounts) Mikl Pickle )
Her purple eyes grew wide. "Seriously?" She whispered. "What about the sun? And everything else? I know what Overlanders look like- and this is not it." She said, beckoning to herself.
"Well, if you had regular clothes, maybe a jacket and a hat, nobody would look twice. Plus, even if they did notice that you looked a little weird, what would they do? Also, we can go at night."(edited)
She frantically grabbed the slate, nearly knocking it over. "How do Overland governments work...? I keep stumbling upon stuff that's clearly a political commentary, but I can never get the reference. Do they all use the same form of government?"
Michael sighed. "Oh boy. I was hoping for simple questions, like 'what color is the sky,' and stuff." He grinned. "Basically, we vote for a president, who rules the country. Then, we elect people to be in congress, which is kind of like your council. They make the rules. That's a very oversimplified explanation."
“Sorry! But that is interesting.” She said, glancing at the slate again. “What is Overland food like? Sometimes I hear mentions of things like bread, and it makes sense. But other stuff I’ve never heard of.”
“Okay!” She said quickly, trying not to think about how anxious it made her. She was excited, but also afraid.Demeter stretched out a wing, inviting them to mount.
Demeter swept out over the Waterway, locating the small niche in the hanging rock that would allow them to climb into the tunnel leading into the Overland. “This will be difficult. I’m going to try and hover right below the hole, you’ll have to pull yourselves up. Getting back will be much easier.”
Demeter flipped over, hanging from the ceiling with her claws. She poked her nose through the entrance. “I’ll be waiting right here.”
(PS there’s a long ass tunnel leading from this hole to the overland in case u forgot umu)
Helen quickly caught up behind, glancing around the boulder into the dim evening sky. “Woah.”
Demeter shifted into a more comfortable position, ears dropping. She was hoping they would have fun, but was a bit sad to be left behind.
Helen stepped forward, awed by the harsh lights of the skyscrapers against the trees. It was a jarring sight. The plant life was unlike anything she’d seen before, as were the buildings. But there was one thing that daunted her the most. “Holy shit, the sky is huge.” She had grown used to the caves. Normally, the cropped stone was visible, or faded into darkness. There was always something above. The sky seemed endless.
"Oh, yeah. Well, it's not really a solid thing... It's actually air which looks blue because of the reflection of the ocean... which is basically a giant waterway."
Lizzie finally got to the last guard she could see around the Fount, But no one knew where her brother and mother went, All they kept saying was they went off to have an private conversation somewhere when Lizzie was distracted in an conversation with an Underlander. She sighed; 'Guess you'll have to do this the hard way, Liz.' The overlander thought to herself with an shake of her head. She departed the guard and started down an lonesome alley in between an couple buildings in search of her family members.
If Arhox had a human stomach, she would have vomited on the flight. She hated flying more than she hated noise. She folded her legs up, protecting her from the assaulting winds and noisy wingbeats.
Ezra scanned the ground below them, of the course the girl would be inside, not just roaming around. Her box braids flew around as wind rushed towards her face, forcing her to close her eyes for the moment. She let out a huff.
“It doesn’t matter, there will be another halflander somewhere.” Ezra pointed out. She lifted her head up to catch more of the breeze before Matrix decided to land.
We can just assume Lizzie is outside and have Ezra grab her and get out of there perhaps? Or she and Arhox can run in and Arhox can create a diversion)
Will do! Fyi, She's the bun in my profile. :) ))(edited)
18:26
"Mom! Gregor! You there?" She called out, Disappointed to find out that they did not answer her calls. She then trailed her hand along the alley walls until she reached an open but deserted street, And continued along it in search for Gregor and her mother, Periodically calling out their names.
Ezra spotted her target, she pulled out a dagger and nodded to Arhox. “There.” She told them softly. Matrix took it as he cue to silently dive towards the girl.
Matrix landed softly on the ground, lowering his back so the pair could slid off easily. Ezra slid off of the flier and sheathed her daggers, she’d keep a hand on them at all times. They creeped closer to the girl and signaled Arhox to stay out of view, but close behind. She approached the girl, moving her box braids out of the way. The red in her hair intimidated others. “Hello, little one.” She said softly.(edited)
Arhox skittered off of Matrix’s back, keeping her footsteps silent. She raised the last leg on her right, in order to kick hairs in case anything went awry. She didn’t like doing it. It felt terrible, and left a horrid bald spot. But that’s what Ezra had wanted, so she would do it.
Lizzie jumped, Eyes wide as she whipped around to an girl not too many years older than Gregor and an large bat. "W-who are you?" She said in an quick jumble, Her inner instincts yelling at her to flee from this girl, Even though she didn't seem like immediate danger.
“I’m your friend.” Ezra told the girl, she held out her hand and waited for her to take it. Ezra’s dark skin and violet eyes immediately put her into a different category than others Lizzie had seen, which made other people uneasy around her. She plastered a fake smile onto her face.
18:51
Matrix stood as still as he could, although his ears twitched, trying to analyze every sound.
Lizzie shrunk back away from Ezra, Anxiously glancing around. "I've never met you before, Otherwise I would have remembered you, You look an bit.. Strange." She commented.
The girl’s smile soon turned into a scowl. Ezra reached toward Lizzie and grabbed her hand, she pull her with brute strength right into his raised elbow, hoping to knock her unconscious. “Get over here now, both of you.” She looked towards Arhox then back at Lizzie. “Restrain her hands and legs, quickly.” Ezra advised.(edited)
Lizzie let out an loud, Deafening shriek before she blacked out, Ragged breaths leaving her lungs in an panic as her eyes slowly closed as she was pulled into an dark, Unconscious state.
Matrix fluttered towards them and lowered his back. He let Arhox get on first then Ezra with Lizzie.
19:03
Ezra swung Lizzie over her shoulder and laid her down onto Matrix’s back. She looked around to here a small bit of commotion, but she didn’t think anyone saw them.
Matrix positioned himself to take off. He began to beat his wings, propelling himself into the open space above them. “What now?” Ezra paused before answering his question. “Back to the labyrinth.”
Demeter sat in the hospital quietly as doctors carefully pulled Spinner hairs out of her fur. They wouldn’t touch her until they were all gone. She understood that. They were itchy and painful. Especially in high concentration. She flinched each time they yanked one out. Eventually, they started on her wing. She was in a lot of pain, as one of her delicate ‘finger’ bones was snapped.
Grace walked briskly down the medical wing, trying dazedly to keep up with the guard who was leading her and her son. He had suddenly appeared in their room, out of breath and panicked, only asking that they follow him. He stopped suddenly before one rooms door and pointed them inside, before hurriedly turning and practically running away.
16:05
(Wait you want Michael involved? Would he not be informed if his bond was hurt?)
Demeter raised her head, and her heart sank. How did they expect her to deliver the news? She was already ripped up enough. Surely, they’d blame her. She began to sniff, unable to hold back her tears. “S-Someone took Lizzie.” She choked.
Grace stopped at the doorway, her heart plummeting through the floor. She was so confused to see Demeter in the room, doctors surrounding her and her wing slowly being tended. She'd stepped forward to ask what had happened. But the bat's words had stopped her. Had stopped all thoughts she might have had.
“I don’t know who it was- I- I was over the Waterway, and I heard voices, and I went to go see what it was and someone had Lizzie!” She covered her eyes with her uninjured wing. “I-I tried to stop them. I tried so hard.”
Grace heard Demeter's words, on a certain level she even understood them. But right now the only thing she could focus on was 'someone took Lizzie.' Someone. Took. Lizzie. Grace collapsed to the ground, one of the doctors rushing forward to help her. But she pushed them away. "Lizzie is- Lizzie's gone?"
"My daughter. My." Grace sobbed. "My Lizzie. I can't. I can't do this again, please god." Grace pitched forward, still on the ground, rocking into herself. "Please no, please not again."
“I- I don’t know. I only saw them take her away- I- I don’t know.” She stumbled over her words, wanting to tell them but not knowing why. All she knew was that she was gone.
“This is not your fault.” Demeter said, suddenly raising her voice to be actually noticeable. “I lost her.” She closed her eyes. “I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t save my own child, and I couldn’t save yours.” It was barely audible.
Grace climbed shakily to her feet, again refusing help from the hovering doctors. She stumble over to Demeter, grasping her ruff like a lifeline. "You shouldn't have to have saved her, she never should have been here. That's my fault, and mine alone. This place... this place. All it does is take and take."
Demeter bolted upright, ignoring what he said. “Oh my goodness, I left Michael in the Overland!” It had been gnawing at the back of her mind the whole time, but only then did she realize how long she had left him there.
“He wanted to bring his friend to the overland and I was supposed to take them back but then I saw Lizzie so I got distracted and then Nike brought me here! He’s been there for hours!” She spilled out in one fast sentence.
Michael, completely ignoring the news that Lizzie had been kidnapped (for now), rushed into the hospital room where Demeter was. He ran up to Demeter. "Are you okay? What happened?"
17:48
(man)
17:48
(i still feel so sad whenever i think about demeter calling michael's name)
17:49
(i feel like I, not roleplay me, irl me, betrayed her)
Demeter cringed again. She was glad to see Michael, but she’d repeated the story twice already, and there were so many people there and so many doctors had been coming in and out. She was overwhelmed. “I- I was waiting for you, and I saw someone taking Lizzie, and I tried to stop them, but they got away.”
During all this, Grace finally let one of the doctors lead her to a chair off to the side of the room. She sat there heavily while the doctor quickly slipped a glass of water into her hands. She sipped that quietly while the others conversed. Lost in her thoughts and shock.
“If I hadn’t left you behind- I’m sorry- I just miss the Overland so much sometimes, and Helen- I shouldn’t have gone- and now that poor little girl, Lizzie, is gone, and I could have stopped them-“
Demeter looked up, exhausted. Oh, no. Not another one from Lizzie’s family. She couldn’t handle it. Nevertheless, she felt as if she owed him an explanation. Needless to say, she fully pinned the blame on herself.
18:54
(Lizzie bursts in, breaks gregor’s noss THATS A SIN)
Out of pure anger, he felt the rager sensation welling through him. He clenched his fists and tried to keep it in, but he couldn’t take it. “So it’s your fault,” he said quietly. “You’re the reason my sister got fucking kidnapped!” he yelled. The words exploded out of him.
Demeter flinched, drawing backwards. She had expected him to lie like the others had. He had seemed almost quiet earlier. But she nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat. “Yes. I’m so sorry.”
“It wasn’t her fault! She tried!” Michael yelled back. Nobody talked like that to his bond.
19:03
“Stay the fuck out of this,” Gregor responded coldly. “If it was me, or anyone else, instead of you,” Gregor said, pointing to Demeter, “she’d be okay. But it had to be your pathetic bond who was there.”
19:05
Michael's heart started beating faster. He didn't know how to respond. He wasn't good with words Anger coursed through his veins.
19:06
"Don't talk about her last night. She's stronger than you could ever be." His hatred towards Gregor had multiplied.
Demeter shrunk backwards even more. She hated this. She wanted to agree that it was her fault, but she also wanted to tell them to stop fighting, and he was being so mean. “Please forgive me.” She choked between sobs.
Gregor was silent for a minute, but then hit Michael in the face.(edited)
19:08
Michael touched his face where he'd punched him. Gregor was much stronger than he looked. No matter how mad he was, he decided not to hit him back.(edited)
“Michael!” She shouted, jumping forward to see if he was alright. Despite doctors trying to hold her back, she flung herself off of the bed, extending her wings to their full length. She was small for a flier, but big in comparison to a human, especially a kid. She bared her teeth. “Leave... Him... out of this!”
The rager sensation quickly drained. It dawned on him then what he'd just done. Tears filled his eyes. He covered his mouth "Oh my god, I'm so sorry... I- I didn't-"
19:11
"Get out of here," Michael said quietly through gritted teeth.
19:13
"I'm sorry... it was..." he couldn't find the correct words. He just left. Once he got out, he collapsed on the ground. Lizzie, gone. And he'd blamed the poor flier who had tried to help. That was more than almost anyone would do. And he'd hit that child in the face. Hard. He started to ugly-cry.
19:14
In the hospital room, Michael turned to Demeter. Despite the extreme pain, he kept his voice steady. "Demeter, it was not your fault. Don't let anyone tell you that. That kid is a dick."
The doctors in the room practically forced Demeter back into bed. She didn’t fight that. She curled up, wrapping her wing around herself. Her injured wing hurt more than it had minutes before. “You’ve unset the bone. It’ll have to be done again.” One of the doctors said in a neutral tone. Demeter tried to hide her face. “I don’t know why I did that.”
19:18
She was so ashamed. Not only did the legendary Warrior hate her, but she’d just threatened him.
"Jump him?" Michael asked in disbelief. "Demeter, you didn't try to jump him! You told him to stop. You were bluffing. You never would have hurt him!"(edited)
19:32
(man wolf are you going into a coma every few minutes)
"Demeter, none of this is your fault. You didn't do anything. And we will get her back. I'm so sorry." His eyes lit up as he remembered something. "Oh, Demeter! I brought you something," he said, grinning.
19:41
(where is helen?)
19:42
(HOLY FRICK)
19:42
(I WONDER WHAT GRACE AND HELEN THINK ABOUT ALL THIS)
Grace stumbled out of her chair, her glass of water tumbling to the ground and rolling away. The shock of Lizzie's kidnapping had made everything hazy and numb, but she could still hear the raised voices, the shouting. Grace followed her son into the hall and saw him on the ground, crying. "Oh, baby." She slipped down next to him and pulled him into a hug.
Gregor hugged his mom back. "Mom, I was so mean. I called the bat pathetic when she only tried to help. And I hit that kid in the face. They didn't do anything wrong," he sobbed.
Grace tried to wipe his tears, but her hands were still damp from her own. "Gregor... I'm not going to say it's okay, because it wasn't. That was wrong of you. Honey, why?" Grace was shocked at her son's actions, this wasn't like her little boy. This wasn't like Gregor. Again this place was changing him into something unrecognizable to her.(edited)
Gregor tried to stop crying. "Well... They have this thing down here called a rager... it's where you have the ability to... fight... well. I am a rager. Sometimes, if I get mad, or scared, or worried, I can't control it, and since I can't fight, I can't get the feeling out, so I just explode. I didn't want you to find out this way. Now they hate me and they're completely justified."
19:59
"Pizza," he said, trying to sound cheerful, holding up the now cold slice. "It's an Overland food. My favorite, actually."
“Pizza?” She said, mimicking the word to the best of her ability. She felt tired and hollow, but nonetheless perked up her ears for his sake. “I’ll try it, if you like it, I’m sure it’s fine. It has an unusual scent. Not like Underland food.”
Grace nodded, despite having no clue what her son was talking about, a rager? He was from New York?! Mentally she was already wondering if Lee's therapist also helped with anger management. "What you said and did was harsh and uncalled for, I won't lie. But they might surprise you. But you need to march your butt back in there an apologize, regardless."
Demeter took a bite, and her face crinkled up slightly. She wasn’t sure what to expect but the acidity of the tomato definitely threw her off. “It’s, uh, very good.”
Gregor walked through the door. "I'm really sorry for what I did. Sometimes I get the rager sensation and I can't control it without fighting." He turned toward Demeter. "You didn't do anything wrong. It was really brave of you to help, thank you so much. And you, I'm really sorry for hitting you."
20:15
Michael looked at him with a blank face. "Whatever. It's nothing," he said, not meeting his eyes.
Demeter didn’t speak for a solid moment, surprised by the sudden change of tone. She’d completely forgotten that the Warrior was a rager. “I- uh, it’s alright.” She stammered. Why was the Warrior apologizing to HER?
(I hc that everyone just thinks gregor is a total badass mightier than thou god after the events of the last book, especially Demeter lmao)
A knock had been heard on the door, it rapped against it three times. Onora gently set down her pen on the desk and looked towards the door. “Come in!” She called. The stranger was dressed in a white lab coat, his face painted with distress. Onora took notice, but not enough to concern her. The man fidgeted with his hands and looked down towards the floor. He let out a deep breath before he began to speak. “You’re—you’re uh friend..Demeter—has been hurt.” He paused for a moment. “She is currently in the medical wing...” That was all the girl needed to hear. Onora’s brow creased with worry and she immediately rose from her seat and bolted towards the door. The prosthetic leg clanked against the stone floor, and it slowed her down. She did her best at an attempt to run towards the medical wing. The girl frantically searched for the correct room, accidentally bumping into people at times. She’d been screamed watch it twice. Finally she found the correct door, sweat beads started to form across her head from her spiking heart rate. The girl grabbed hold of the doorknob and flung the door open, her eyes wide and filled with terror. “Where is she~”
Grace stood quietly by the door. Watching her son and the others. Nodding slightly as he apologized to each person. When the door suddenly flung open she jerked out of the way.
(Healer Josephix felt so incredibly awkward right now. He'd only been here to fix a simple break and now he was privy to all the latest political drama. This is what he got for taking Helga's shift. Amazing. Could he leave?)
“We have no word on what is being done to get her back. For gods sake, she could probably be so close but no one is doing a fucking thing about it!” Onora went on.
Demeter glanced at the nearest doctor. “Will I be able to fly soon?” She asked quietly. He shook his head, explaining that it’d be a few weeks until she could fly again. She sank down, and he gently added that there would be a chance for chronic damage if it happened again. This was the second time she’d broken that wing, and it was growing tired under the constant abuse. “But- I need to. I need to help. I can’t stay here while she’s missing.”
The girl glanced at the doctors then back at Demeter. “Please, stay and rest. Jexus will not be happy knowing that you have a possibility to have an injury that is more severe.”
"I'm not going to stand by again while my children are lost in this, in this place," Grace protested. "Lizzie is my daughter, my child, and I'm going to help find her. Besides, none of you had a problem before sending an eleven and two year old out to fix your messes." She finished with a hiss.(edited)
“I am not one of them, well sorta—but that’s besides the point! You have no idea how to fight, and there are creature twice your size!” She reasoned. “Mother or not!”
Onora shook her head, she placed her hand against her forehead and dragged it towards the floor. “Fine. But if you get killed so help me I’ll bring you back again and twist a sword down your throat!” She snapped.
Onora walked towards the door, but turned her head the slightest before exiting the room. “Two words,” She said in a low voice. “Fuck, off.” With that she proceeded down the hall.(edited)
"No, I just... Onora was acting weird... I'm worried about Lizzie, and you, and..." he didn't want to mention Gregor with him in the room, so he just rubbed his bruise instead and hoped Demeter would understand. "I feel hopeless right now. Like I did so many things wrong. But I don't know what."
Smokeswirl rolled over, having heard the knock. The groaned and limped over to the door dramatically. “What do you want? I was asleep!” She grumbled, opening it up.
Michael took a deep breath. "An Underlander and I went up to the Overland and Demeter was supposed to pick us up. We went to check for her, but she was gone. We waited a little, then Jexus came to pick us up. He took us to Demeter, who told us that a group of bad people took the Warrior's sister, Lizzie. Demeter tried to get her back but the people attacked her and broke one of her wings. The Warrior then came into her hospital room, blamed Demeter for Lizzie getting kidnapped, and punched me in the face. Then Onora came, threatened Lizzie's mom, told me to fuck off, and left. In other words, it was a fun-filled day."(edited)
21:45
(the word butt has been said thirty-five times in this server)
“Well shit, that sure takes first place for worst days imaginable.” She noted. She didn’t know how to make people feel better. Should she insult him? Probably not. “I always knew that Warrior was a prick.”
"Exactly! Demeter groveled at him! To be fair, he did apologize, but when he did, Demeter was like, 'oh mighty warrior, I'm sorry, your swears are not worthy of my ears!'" Michael immediately felt a pang of guilt for saying that about Demeter. It was just a bad day.
“Ha, you got punched in a hospital. That’s like dying in a cemetery. Nice going.” She poked him, feeling it necessary to make fun of him in case he felt too chummy. “Did they not put anything on it? It looks pretty bad.” She added, mildly concerned.
“Oh, I knew it. Human healers are all denser than rock. Ever since I started hanging around humans they started making me get my injuries checked out in the hospitals. It’s garbage. I lost a leg and didn’t even put a bandage on it. Just licked it a few times and let it be.” She complained, before adding, “Also, bandages are stupid and I hate them.”
“Thank you, I fancy myself to be a comedian. I’m considering moving to the Crawler lands to take up a new life in comedy. I hear they love jokes.”
Smokeswirl remembered him mentioning a kidnapping. “So you’re saying someone got kidnapped? The Warrior’s sister?”
“Well, you’ll never get anywhere without a little self pity. How do you think I got through 90% of my life?” She stretched. “I’m sure they’ll have people looking for her soon. If you want to erase your guilt, you could always do that. And I’m sure they’ll need my excellent nose.”
Demeter folded back her ears as she spoke to one of the doctors. She had begged to be released, but they insisted that she stay for the rest of the day to monitor the wing. Deep down she knew it was because of her ‘outburst.’ No matter how polite or insistent she was, they didn’t budge. She sunk back in the bed with a sigh.
Demeter was slightly surprised to see Grace enter. She hadn’t expected it to be her. “Oh, hello. I am well, although they refuse to let me leave.” She resisted asking why she had come, to avoid sounding rude.
"Did you break your wing?" Grace winced, after everything that had happened earlier, she hadn't even asked if Demeter had been okay. Didn't she say she was attacked while trying to save Lizzie??
“Yes.” She conceded, bringing the bandaged wing into view. It was folded against itself tightly to keep it in place. “I made it worse when I... jumped up, but the doctors have set it again.”
Grace winced again, feeling ashamed knowing it was her son that caused the bat more harm. "Ah. It makes sense then, to keep you a bit longer. They must want it to heal a bit more before you leave."
16:50
(Grace's kids keep getting people injured or killed, more at eleven.)
Demeter sighed. “I suppose. But I hate it here. And I desperately want to aid in the search.” She truly did hate the hospital. There were too many painful memories associated with it.
"You're not missing much," Grace said, starting to wring her hands. "So far no ones found anything. Or well, if they have they haven't told me." Grace sighed, dropping her hands and moving to the chair by Demeter's bed. "There's not much either of us can do at the moment."
17:02
(I gotta bounce for 15 minutes, I'll be back though! But you and Mikl can start y'alls stuff if you want.)
Michael woke up and stretched. “Hey, Smokeswirl, sorry for sleeping here, I just realized I never asked if I could. I just thought Demeter and Grace would want to talk.”
"You did all you could," Grace assured her softly, before staring off at the wall, through the wall. "It's the waiting that's the worst. I can't stand the waiting."
“I don’t even know what a BFF is.” She said, raising her nose in the air indignantly.Demeter nodded. “It is always the waiting that gets me. I truly need a hobby. If I’m not doing something, I can’t keep my mind off of things.”
Smokeswirl grumbled incoherently.Demeter sighed. “I used to do carvings. Not very often, and only once in a while, but it was good at keeping me focused.” She looked off in the distance. “I can’t remember why I stopped.”
"Maybe you should try again!" Grace tried to smile, it felt a bit strained. "You won't be flying for a while yet. Maybe you can ask one of the doctors to bring you something?"
"It's better than just sitting," Grace tried to assure her, "there's no harm in it, and I wouldn't be offended. Lizzie wouldn't-" Grace's voice hitched. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Lizzie wouldn't mind either."
Onora sighed. She leaned against the wall, her fists were clenched in balls. The situation frustrated her, it couldn’t get any better. Could it? Onora folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. “Come on.” She muttered.(edited)
Smokeswirl came striding down the hall, moving with her typical staggering gait. her whiskers twitched when she noticed Onora, leaning against the wall. She hadn't seen her in a while, but her behavior seemed slightly odd. She approached, raising onto her haunches to meet her height.
The halflander looked down from the floor, her violet eyes scanning Smokeswirl. “Well look who it is, haven’t seen you around for a little while.” Onora stated softly.
Onora let out a hitched breath. “Geez, I don’t know. Maybe I’m not going insane.” She paused for a moment. “Did—did you hear about it?” She asked quietly.
The woman pushed herself up off the wall and held her hand out. “Please, you haven’t heard of what happen to Demeter?” She shook her head and backed back into the wall. “Shit! There are so many things on my damn mind!”
Smokeswirl fell from her haunches, onto her feet. She was confused as to why Onora was so eaten up about this. Had she been close to the child or something?
Demeter sat in the hospital bed, fiddling with her claws. She was allowed to leave when she felt ready. But her legs were weak, and her chest felt alive with anxiety. She wasn't sure why. She wanted to leave immediately. But moving seemed like an impossible task.
Demeter’s broken wing fell off and she ascended into the air, her chest splitting in two. Michael climbed out. Now there were two michaels facing each other. There were too many michaels. Both withered away, destroyed by the universe. It could not handle them.
Demeter jumped in the bed, fur standing on end before smoothing back down again when she recognized Michael. Any thoughts she was having were pushed back. “What?”
Demeter tried to form how she was feeling into words, but quickly gave up, exhaling heavily. “I am allowed to leave the hospital now, but I am not allowed to fly or even move around much. They almost did not let me leave, because of how persistent I was to help in the search.”
Michael awkwardly stroked Demeter's fur, trying to comfort her. "Demeter, I understand if you don't want to leave the hospital. Really, it would be best for you, and you've already done so much to help. So if you stay in the hospital for a little bit, would you want me to stay here and keep you company or go looking for Lizard?"
21:31
(DO YOU EVER LOVE SOMETHING SO MUCH THAT YOU ARE JUST SO PISSED OFF THAT YOU CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THEM IN WORDS)
"Yeah, I understand. I'm sorry. But I was just wondering if you want me to stay here or look for Lizard. If I stay, I could go back up to the Overland and get some board games that we could play together!" He smiled at her.
“Last time you went to the Overland, things went badly. I’m not going to stop you, but we have games down here too. It’s not worth it.” She said, shaking her head.
She nodded sheepishly. “Can- can we try to leave the hospital at least? Can I stay in your room?” She didn’t like being in her and Jexus’ room much anymore. It’s not that she didn’t love him, but it hurt to see him. Maybe getting away would be good.
“Yeah, my legs are fine. Just short. I’m just slow if I can’t use my wings.” Quivering imperceptibly, she moved to get off the bed. Her claws hit the cold stone floor with a click. She tried not to think while she moved.
Demeter and Michael, slowly, made their way out of the hospital. Bats were not made to walk, or even crawl for long distances. Not being able to use her wing, getting around was difficult. She knew that even after being out of the hospital, there wasn’t much she would be able to do. She’d really have to just set herself up in one spot and let her wing rest. The thought alone stressed her out. She needed to be doing something. If she wasn’t, her mind would wander, and whenever that happened she wound up in tears.
“Wait, wait, wait! I thought of a fun one! I say a word and then you say a word and we keep taking turns, and we make a story,” he said. “Man,” he thought to himself, “I am so smart for thinking of that idea.”
(Once there was a stinky Overlander named Michael and he had a bond named Demeter who was amazing! They were the most stinky creatures in the Underland. They decided to dance and sing, but Michael said “WIEUDHAKISJSNDHWGQISKDNDHAG!” So Demeter bit his eye off. Michael started to flamboyantly dance. Demeter said, “Michael, you are the most amazing!” Michael said, “Why am I so handsome?”)(edited)
“Sure. Do you have anything in mind? You’ve seemed quite interested in the Overland lately. Is there a reason? I’m not upset, more curious than anything.”
“Well, when I was in the Overland, I just had to worry about homework, chores, girls, and stuff... But now, here I am, fighting in a war, and I’m only fourteen. I don’t miss the Overland, I think I just miss the times back when I could... well, be a kid.”(edited)
Demeter frowned. “War has a way of dragging children into it. You don’t have to participate, if you don’t want to. Things won’t be normal with a war going on, but nobody can force you to fight.”
“Well, I want to. I need to. We have to stand up for what’s right, you know? Like, it isn’t fair for the prowlers to keep the crushers as slaves. There actually was a war in the Overland about slavery. Half of the people in America, which is where I lived, wanted to keep slavery legal, and the other half did not. The good thing is that the people who didn’t want slavery won, and it was outlawed forever. Well, in America, at least. It’s like that. Fighting isn’t good, but sometimes it’s the best solution. For the greater good.”(edited)
(“Actually the civil war was not fought over slavery, it was about states rights. The end of slavery was an added bonus, even though sharecropping still flourished and left ex-slaves in nearly the same position.” Demeter said.)
“Well, still. If it’s effecting you a lot, maybe you should take a step back for your own health.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. Of course I’m happy! I have so many friends down here. We all feel like a family. Me, you, Smokeswirl, Onora... sometimes... Howard, Edwynn, Cass, Nike, Shredder, and Jexus. Speaking of Jexus, how are things with you two?”
“So do I, but it’s just so difficult. Whenever I try to think about it,
I just get so tired and say I’ll address it later. It’s so, so hard.” She said, eyes glistening with tears.
“Ugh... I just... I don’t even know what to say. Thank you for being here. Is it okay if I stay here for a little bit? So I don’t have to go to our room. He hasn’t been there for a little while, but still. It smells like him.”
"Mediocre? Demeter, it was the sweetest thing anybody's done for me in a long time." He grabbed the carving sitting on his nightstand. "You know, it's a pretty big feat for someone without opposable thumbs."
“Demeter, it isn’t my job to figure out what people were thinking when they named things, it’s my job to prove you wrong. I’ll tell you what. We can go to the Firelands once your wing is better and then we will see who is right.”
Michael snickered. “Demeter, it was just a joke. It has magma. Lava is magma that’s above ground. Since it’s in the Underland, it isn’t lava, it’s magma.”(edited)
Jexus burst into the room, sung a beautiful rendition of Can't help falling in love with you with accompaniment guitar (somehow?) and threw flowers at her before running out the door.
Michael stared longingly into a wall. When he had gone back up, there was snow, and wreathes, and Christmas decorations everywhere. He pictured Overlanders of his age not having to worry about wars, or fighting, just relaxing, opening up presents, drinking hot cocoa, and being with family. He sighed.
Demeter tapped lightly at the door to his room. “Anyone there?” She knew he was in there, she could hear his subtle movements. She chose to ask anyway.
“Are you kidding me, Demeter? You guys are my family, we’ve been through so much. And yeah, that does sound kind of fun. We haven’t been together in so long...”(edited)
(Mikl my dear boy.)
(Michael tells demeter he misses Christmas. She suggests a celebration. They get together and celebrate christmas, inviting the other characters in the Rp)
(She means, skip the dialogue y'all would have to type that would lead to planning a Christmas Party and go ahead and pretend y'all did all that already. (Even though y'all haven't.) Just skip to the gift giving part. Who needs explanations?)
Her feet clicked against the stone floor of the fount loudly. She shook her head and muttered something under her breath. The girl wasn’t taking this lightly, who would want to steal a small girl anyway! Well—-certainly the psychopath who did this. Onora came across an alley at the within the fount, and walked down it, eventually sliding down the side of the building and onto the ground. Her nostrils flared as she palmed her face.
The girl raised her head up a little and flashed Jexus a smile. Onora shook her head slightly and chuckled loudly. Touching her tongue to the roof of her mouth, she began to speak softly. “I haven’t seen you in what—1 month? Where’ve you been?”
“Hi, Jexus! Want to say hi to Demeter? She could use some visitors, I’m just out here getting her some food...” He trailed off when he saw that Onora was also there. He briefly looked at her but said nothing.
Onora made brief eye contact of Micheal and raised her upper lip slightly. She avoided his gaze and didn’t respond to Jexus. Onora pushed herself up, but came up too fast. Her head began to spin and she gasped for air for a hot moment. She leaned back against the building to help her.
Onora was grateful for Jexus being here, but she stayed quiet. She pushed herself off of the wall and began to walk further into the alley. Waving her hand, she hoped they wouldn’t follow. Although she knew they would regardless.
Onora let out a heavy sigh and nodded. “Sure, whatever.” She finally stopped and turned around slowly. Waiting for Jexus, she put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot.
Onora swung her prosthetic leg over his back first, then pulled the other up. She steadied herself on his back and leaned down onto his soft fur. She missed this dearly.
Onora leaned down once again and wrapped her arms around him to the best of her ability. She didn’t know if her stomach could handle it because she hadn’t flown in such a long time.
Onora responded to Jexus softly, her head pounding from all the thinking she’s done. “Yes I’m fine.” Onora’s curly hair blew in the wind as Jexus flew. Looking over his wing, she smiled.
Michael shifted tensely. He did not mean to go on this ride, trapped with someone he was angry with and her bond. It all happened so fast. He was supposed to just grab some food for Demeter and come back.
Onora leaned back so she laid face up on his back. She almost forgot they were in a giant cave when she looked up at the giant pieces of sharp rock on the ceiling of the cave.
Jexus nodded at Michael but reached out and stopped Onora with his wing. “Alright, stop. Onora, you have to tell me what’s wrong. I’m your bond. If you can’t tell me, who can you tell?”
“No one, because I’ve got no problems!” Onora turned towards Jexus and shook her head angrily. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to sob. The girl didn’t know what was going on with her body.
Onora leaned into her bond and cried into his fur. He was warm, and his wings hugging her made her warm. “I’m sorry—I’m sorry..” She backed up and waved her arms. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” Onora’s hand lightly touched her head.
Onora nodded. “Yes, you’re right.” The halflander turned back around and folded her arms. She looked down as she continued to walk to the building she stayed in.
Onora inhaled shakily, her gaze shifted towards the ground. Her voice was soft, but angry. “You think I need him right now? He—he hasn’t been here in a month, and you think I need him now?!” Onora snapped.
“Y-you’re right. I’m sorry.” She nodded to Jexus before continuing inside the building. Onora climbed up some stairs and walked sluggishly down the hallway, this was caused because of her stomach which kept twisting.
She let out another shaky breath. “I am fine.” Her head was pressed against his, it caused her to clothes her violet eyes softly. They stood there for a few minutes in complete silence.
“Please, it’s nothing—Let’s just find Howard.” Onora backed away from him. She continued to walk down the hallway even further, searching for the right room. She probably passed it by now, but she kept looking.(edited)
“Thank you.” She took the glass from his hand and took a sip of the water. It soothed her dry throat. Onora laid back against the bed and huffed. She rested her hands on her stomach.
Onora nodded. “A little bit.” She let out a big yawn and sat up on the bed. With a groan, she made her way towards their bathroom, and waved her hands at everyone. “I’m getting ready for some sleep, leave us be.” She said softly as she walked into the bathroom.
Turning the knob on the shower caused water to flow through the holes on the nozzle. When she was fully wet, she began to shower. She took a little while, but didn’t hear Howard’s knock. The door of the shower slid open a bit, letting Onora grab her towel. She toweled herself off, and got dressed.
Onora shrugged. “I guess you could’ve, but you’re too slow.” She teased. Dropping her towel into their laundry bin, she made her way towards her bed. The covers were already pulled down the bed, so all she had to do was get in and pull them up. She sighed as she laid her head against the pillow, her violet eyes slowly began to shut.
Onora’s stomach churned in the middle of the night, causing her to get out of bed and stumble to the bathroom relatively quietly. Her head spun, making her nauseous. The halflander gagged a few times, but never actually spilled any vile. Her body shook violently though. She decided she was just going to sleep in the bathroom. Opening the closet, she grabbed a few towels. One for her head, and the other for a blanket. She curled up on the floor, falling back asleep.
Onora woke up earlier in the morning, she showered, got dressed, and even cleaned up around the place. When she was done with all of that she just relaxed in the chair near the bed. She sighed, hoping she would buy back some of the lost sleep.
11:27
(Idk if I’ve asked this before but is it set up like an apartment? Bc I don’t think we’ve ever like talked about a kitchen or anything)
The halflander sunk into the chair, she raised her hand up and waved to Howard. “Morning.” It was obvious that Onora didn’t get any sleep, hence the large dark bags beneath her eyes.
Onora rolled her eyes and tended to his request. She opened up the cabinets to the kitchen in search of a metal coffee machine. Pots and pans banged together as she did so. In frustration, she couldn’t find it. “Where’s your coffee machine?!”(edited)
For lack of something better to do Because he's a great boyfriend, Jexus went to his and Demeter's room and knocked lightly. There was no reply, so he thought she might be in Michael's room. He knocked on the overlander's door;(edited)
(Michael and Demeter share a room cause they’re bonds. Demeter and Jexus share a room because they are romantically involved. Jexus and Onora share a room because they are bonds. Onora and Howard share a room because they are romantically involved. Howard and Nike share a room because they are bonds. Michael, Demeter, Jexus, Onora, Howard, and Nike are all roommates)
“Uh... I’m... not sure. I just woke up. Let me go check.” He walked over to Demeter and whisperedEXTREMELY QUIETLY TO THE POINT THAT JEXUS DEFINITELY COULD NOT HEAR. “Jexus is here and he’s asking for you, should I tell him you’re here?”
13:18
( @Lenn can Michael talk to Helen sometime soon I miss her)
“Yes, I was in the hospital but they allowed me to leave. You did not mention you were leaving. And you were gone for a month!” She said harshly. “I’m sorry for my tone. But you... you didn’t tell me.”
“I don’t think there’s any easy way to start this.” She choked. “So I’m just going to go outright and say it. Things have been so... different. Even before your mission. You’ve been distant. And it’s not entirely your fault. I tried to pretend that none of... what happened... happened. And I’ve been going through so much more than that. I’ve been trying so hard to process everything and it’s hard to even think about being with you. Because I love you. But every time I see you... it just reminds me of everything and it hurts.”
Jexus swallowed. He didn't know what to say. "Demeter, I... I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what this is like for you. And I know that I was hurt too, that I needed time as well." HIs lip trembled slightly. "And I didn't think about you. I didn't think about how much worse this is for you. And I'm so, so, sorry." His voice cracked slightly. "Because I love you too. So much."(edited)
“I’m sorry. It’s not any worse for me than it is you. Like Smokeswirl said. You can’t compare losses like it’s a game. Or you’ll both wind up the loser. Probably something cheekier than that.” She sniffed, a hint of a laugh. “But... I think that maybe we should take a break. I can’t leave you. But I think that... for now... I need to focus on healing. And you need to focus on... whatever you’ve been focusing on. I think it’d be better for both of us.”
“I’m sorry, but no, I’m afraid it can’t... we have some company.” A very thin flier and an Overlander came into the room, followed by Helen and Gregor.
Josephix was confused when the Warrior pulled him out of his rounds, but all it took was one look at the ragged flier for him to immediately jumped into action. "Are you injured? Dehydrated?"(edited)
“Not injured. I have been trapped in the labyrinth for months. Sent by Queen Luxa, rats chased me deeper in, and I was lost. I found the Overlander and we stuck together, we found a way out. I haven’t had a proper diet in a long time... I’m undernourished and in need of rest.”(edited)
Danny was also a little worse for wear, but Apollo was in far worse condition. Danny had certainly been scraped up when the train tube collapsed, but many of his wounds had started to heal over.
Josephix nodded, before turning to the others gathered, "can someone run ahead and inform one of the healers that I'll need Room 8 and a drip readied?" He turned back to Apollo. "Please, lay down until we can get you to your room."
He then turned to the worn Overlander next to the flier. "Let me see your injuries."
“That won’t be necessary. I need to go back home immediately. Out of these crazy ass caves. Man, the other guys on the force are gonna have a field day with this.”
“I also must warn you, there are many sentient creatures in the labyrinth. More than I ever could have imagined. They have their own small civilization. I do not know where they stand with Regalia, but their leader seems very cruel. She gave me foul water, claiming it was clean, and told a spinner to kill me as a ‘test.’”
"Overlander please," Josephix said carefully, "there's no telling what all you've been exposed to in the Labyrinth, I need to check you for infections and disease. Your Overland healers will not know how to treat any of it."
16:44
(Sorry, Gregor saying it was fine, Josephix is more concerned with healing right now.)
“Are you kidding? There’s an entire city underneath New York! There’s bound to be illegal shit going on down here. And technically, it falls under New York jurisdiction. And I have a sturdy feeling that a lot of the folks down here aren’t American citizens.”
“Danny, that’s the entire reason we can’t let you tell anyone. Imagine the reaction from anyone if people found out about this place. Overlanders- er, people from above would invade, the creatures down here, including the humans, would probably have lots of experiments and tests done on them, terrible things would happen to this place. You can’t tell anyone or we can’t let you leave,” Michael calmly explained.
"I have to agree with the other Overlanders, the Overland mustn't know about us. We have existed for centuries without their interference. It would be chaos to try and bring them in now."
Onora left her room and followed the sound of chatter down the hall. She took some turns and found Michael’s door ajar. Knocking once or twice, she opened the door a bit. “May I come in? Or am I interrupting something?”
“Come in,” Michael said reluctantly after nobody else spoke. Despite what happened the day before he still wasn’t 100% comfortable with her around.(edited)
Onora tilted her head once she saw that there were many people crowded into one room. She opened the door wider and shut the door, thinking it was better to have privacy. “What’s going on?” She asked hesitantly, her violet eyes landed on an Overlander, who seemed familiar.(edited)
(I think most standard rooms would be big enough for a human and flier pair, beyond that would be unnecessary. However, more important people would probably be assigned bigger rooms for luxury.)
Gregor sighed. “These two just flew in. Helen found them, then found me, then we found Michael, then we went over here because we didn’t know where else to go.”
17:32
( @DrBracewell Howd we stop the war?)
17:32
(I reread a bunch of uncharted land stuffs)(edited)
“Good,” said Michael, doing his best impression of Demeter, trying to trick Onora into thinking it was her who said that so we could continue with the roleplay.
“Says the ground just crumpled beneath him. There have been some earthquakes up there, I think they might have made the ground a little less... steady,” said Gregor.(edited)
Onora shook her head. “If there’s anymore earth quakes up there there’s bound to be more anytime. Who’s to say that the whole ground won’t crumble beneath them and destroy the Underland?” Onora reasoned.
Josephix coughed awkwardly, once again being witness to interrelationship drama he had no part in. He caught the girl's shallow breath and leaned back towards her, "are you sure you're okay?"(edited)
Josephix applied light pressure around her spine, noting every time her breath hitched. "You definitely need to put a press on this, a hot and cold one. Have you've been over active lately? Pulled something? When's the last time you rest?"
Josephix shook his head. "You need at least 6 hours, healer's orders." He helped the halflander lean back into the chair. "Any other symptoms I should know about?"
“A week at the most.” She told the healer. Onora brushed her hair out of her face, revealing her violet eyes which seemed to be zoned out at the moment.
Onora’s face flushed bright red as Michael hugged her. She smiled and patted him in the back. Pushing everyone away she followed Demeter down the hall.
Demeter wasn’t quite sure where to go. She couldn’t exactly fly anywhere, and everyone was already in Michael’s room. She just kept going, hoping an opportunity would arrive.
Demeter gave up and stopped. She had to force back tears, hoping they wouldn’t see. She didn’t want to drag the attention onto herself. This was important for Onora. She wanted to just disappear.
“Really. This is not my moment. I don’t want this to be about me, really. Onora is likely pregnant, and that is amazing! We should be focusing on that.”
“I don’t want to focus on that, Demeter. My pregnancy isn’t a big as an issue as you right now. That is fine and over with.” Onora chimed in softly. She reluctantly stepped backwards, giving the flier space.
Demeter looked at Michael. “Hey, why don’t we go to the hospital? We can see how... uh... the overlander is. And the flier.” (I’m going to assume josephix brought Danny too just to check him over @(moved accounts) Mikl Pickle )
(If you keep being active they can probably get back together I just had em break up because it was weird having her be his mate but him also just not being there)
Danny Johnston had been placed in a room with Apollo while they waited to be checked over. He shot a glance at the bat. “You didn’t tell me they’d try to keep me down here.” He said grumpily.
(I feel like we i more reason to keep Danny from returning lol)
(I’ll just have him refuse to not tell for a while. Then he can decide to stay for longer because he’s curious. Then he can stay foreverrrr)
Danny was going to protest, but Michael and Demeter entered. Demeter gently knocked on the door. "Hello. I am Demeter, and he is Michael. We wanted to... uh... check in on the new arrivals."
Jexus looked down as he fluttered half-heartedly back to his and Demeter's room. He looked at the door for a moment, swallowing. What happened to us all? He thought to himself, pushing inside.
"Yeah, an uber ride back up topside." Danny grumbled. Demeter had no clue what an uber was. "I am sure the doctors are taking care of you. I'm driven mostly by curiosity. You said you were chased into the Labyrinth- um- I cannot recall your name." She said in a friendly tone. She was sure they were both quite shaken up, so perhaps a conversation would help.
"Okay... Nice to meet you, Apollo. And your friend?" She said, beckoning to Danny. "Officer Danny Johnston. And he's not my friend."
16:46
Demeter stared at them awkwardly. This was... uncomfortable. She wanted to be a lot nicer and more welcoming, but she was starting to realize she was emotionally exhausted. She figured she would use Michael's strategy for getting out of situations, and brush up on overlander slang while she was at it. Danny would certainly appreciate it. "Yo fams, I gotta yeet."(edited)
Apollo looked to Danny. “Not your friend? Overlander, I saved your life. And I am simply telling you the truth. All of my kind may be lost if you tell the Overlanders about what you have seen here, and I value their lives much more than yours. So if you cannot swear to secrecy, we will have no choice but to keep you here by force. I want you to get home, Overlander, but you simply must keep it a secret.”
Suddenly, his ears perked up. “My bond!” He jumped out of bed and flew directly to a doctor. “Doctor, do you know where my bond is? Her name is Terra, Terra Mortem!”
“Terra Mor... oh... I recognize that name. She died near a year ago due to the plague. You must return to bed.”
“A plague...? How long was I gone?” Upon hearing this news, he returned to bed with tears in his eyes as he thought of his bond.
17:21
(L)
17:21
(If someone can give me a better name I’ll switch it that was just a placeholder since I couldn’t think of anything better)(edited)
Meanwhile, Demeter left and went out onto the street. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She found herself on an isolated street, completely overwhelmed. Onora was pregnant. She desperately wanted to feel happy for her friend. And she hated herself for feeling jealous, angry, even. And deep down, she still felt guilt for letting Lizzie go. She had already failed her own child. In her muddled mental state, she flexed her broken wing. It didn't hurt THAT much. She was sure she could fly if she tried. Perhaps the doctors were just being safe. Knowing her friends would disapprove, she glanced around to make sure she was alone. And she jumped up into the air.Flying hurt. She could feel her healing wing strain as she flew on it. But she was already up in the air, so she went on. She flew in the direction that the strangers had taken Lizzie. ( #prowler-camp )
(That’s fine)
(Uh maybe she could be missing for a while and he could ask around and someone saw her flying out and he could assume she left to find Lizzie?)
Danny leaned back, putting his hands in the pockets of his now very dirty police uniform. “You know, bat, I think I just might.” He paused. “I don’t know if you bats have wives or mates or bonds or whatever. But I had a wife. And I lost her, just like you lost your-um-bond.”
(MINE WAS )
Danny leaned back, putting his hands in the pockets of his now very dirty police uniform. “You know, bat, I think I just might.” He paused. “I don’t know if you bats have wives or mates or bonds or whatever. But I had a wife. And I lost her, just like you lost your-um-bond.”
"I doubt that a creature with the emotional capacity of yourself could be capable of feeling how I feel."
He paused.
"I am sorry. That was rude and I did not mean it. Please, continue."
“I know, lashing out is pretty common.” He said, remembering how he punched his boss when he gave him the news about his wife. “Her name was Linda.” He sighed. “It’s not easy to lose someone unexpectedly.”
Hera glided quietly through the Fount, An eery silence filling the air the longer she flew, And the more distance she got away from the busy town square. She needed an break, Ears picking up too much noise, Which was stressing her out. The busy bumble looking for the missing princess, Her random kidnapping was terrifying to underlander parents, And all their stress and everyone elses stress just piled onto her own.
Helen stepped outside. The atmosphere of the Fount had been uncomfortable since Lizzie had been kidnapped. A weathered Overland book in hand, she stepped towards the training field. Perhaps she would get some reading done. ( @aloe I am here now if you’re available! My replies might be slow)
Coming across the Training Field, She saw an Underlander slip into the field entrance, And she followed, An bit curious towards what the Underlander was up to. As the cream bat entered the field, She spotted the Underlander sitting down on the edge of the field, An unique-looking book in her hand. @Lenn Sorry if its not much! And sorry for the second ping ;-;))
Helen opened the book, sitting cross-legged on the springy moss. The ambient sounds of the field were pleasant background noise. She didn’t notice the Flier looking at her. Things were growing interesting in her book, so she was engrossed.
Gliding over towards the Underlander, Hera spoke up; "Is that an book?" She asked quietly, Although she knew the obvious answer. The bat tilted her head slightly, As if to add to the pondering effect. ((Agh its super short, Sorry! Gotta grab an charger ;-;))
Hera glided down to the Fount, Spreading her wings as she landed, So she didn't crash of course. "So! What do you want to do first?" The bat asked, A large smile on her face as she turned to look at her new-found friend.
She hushed Michael as peopled passing by began to stare. “Oh no... here, come inside.” She gestured to the palace, where she could hopefully get him under control.
nexion landed next to her. And took a good look around the area “i don’t know... I’ve never been here that long before...why don’t you show me the good places here? ”
"Hmm, Maybe we could go to one of the galleries? Its full of Overland stuff thats fallen down. Its not as interesting as the Palace's, But we've still got a great collection here in the Fount." Hera said, Looking towards the other bat.
Hera nodded, And soon was lifted into the air, Maybe ten feet off the ground. The flier started gliding over the streets and under landers towards the gallery which she would be showing to Rexion.
"Have you ever seen an overlander carriage-door? Its really cool, There's a hole with a clear rock in it. If you haven't, Its a really great thing to see!" She asked, An excited grin on her face.
Landing in front of the gallery, Hera fluttered into the large entranceway. A few underlanders stood in awe as they pointed at some objects. The bat quickly lead Rexion towards the carriage-door, And her wing ushered him closer.
"This is my absolutefavorite in the gallery! Look at it, Its so cool! The cobalt blue shade is so rare down here in the Underworld." Hera whispered excitedly, Happy she got to show her new friend one of her favorite things in the world to look at.
The door was round-ish, And a deep blue. Its glass was a bit cracked, But that didn't really bother Hera. In the overworld, This car would be at least fifty years old.
“wow. I haven’t seen anything like it! I can see why you enjoy this place...it’s so different from our world.” rexion took a good look at everything around him. It felt so different. He shifted his wings around a bit because of excitement. “What other things are here?” although he sounded calm, he was excited.(edited)
Please, Please please, Stop pinging me, I've been busy with school work, HARPG, And my book. I haven't been up to roleplaying since my last response. I know I need to respond, I haven't forgotten. There is no need to ping me twice in one day.))
Today was the day. The first party returning to Regalia would be flushing out the remaining Prowlers, and access the damage. Once this was complete, civilians would be allowed to return to their homes. The party which would be leaving was gathering at the gates leading out of the Fount.
17:08
(I just realized it’d really only make sense for Smokeswirl and mayyyybe Helen to go)
(Demeter cant fly yet, arhox isn’t regalian, And Danny is still trying to figure out what the hell is going on and whether or not to stay)
17:09
(UnlessS someone wants to try and offer for introduce Danny to regalia)
Smokeswirl stepped up to the gates, glancing around for the others. Presently, Helen approached, too. Demeter soon fluttered in. She was allowed to fly again, and she wouldn’t miss this, as sad as it may be to see the city in ruins.
(We might as well just skip to regalia already having been taken back, pretty much nobody who would make sense to be present is available for a while and I doubt they will be soon)
(“Actually the civil war was not fought over slavery, it was about states rights. The end of slavery was an added bonus, even though sharecropping still flourished and left ex-slaves in nearly the same position.” Demeter said.)
“Well, still. If it’s effecting you a lot, maybe you should take a step back for your own health.”